A Little Too Late
by Miss Grace O'Malley
Summary: Six years is a long time to run from the truth. What happens when it finally catches up to Elena? AH/AU
1. Chapter 1

**New story! I hope you all enjoy. Main pairing will be Kol/Elena with a smidge of Klaus/Elena.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Two thousand one hundred and ninety days. It had been two thousand one hundred and ninety days since Elena Gilbert left her life behind in Mystic Falls. Six years ago, down to the day, she left behind the best thing that had ever happened to her. All because she was too young and too naïve.

She allowed the sun to flicker through the closed window and she sighed. She didn't want to get up; she didn't want to face the world today. She'd much rather lay in bed until she simply couldn't any longer.

"Momma!" A little voice yelled from the doorway and suddenly there was a body landing next to her.

Elena turned onto her side and smiled at the little girl who was giggling at her. The girl's chocolate hair hung in messy ringlets around her heart-shaped face and her wide mahogany doe eyes were sparkling with excitement. A light sprinkling of freckles on the bridge of her nose completed her look of innocence and Elena couldn't help but smile.

"Good morning, Claire-bear," Elena said, smiling at her daughter, "You're up early today."

"Momma! We're supposed to be on a plane later!" Claire said seriously, her little eyebrows creasing in concern, "We're gonna go see nana and papa!"

Elena groaned internally. Since leaving Mystic Falls, her parents had always agreed to come visit her, here, in New Orleans. But this year, her father had begged for them to visit home and she couldn't deny him even though she had swore that she'd never be back.

"I know, baby. But our flight isn't until later tonight, when's it's dark out," she explained, "We still have time to pack and have Uncle Nik drive us to the airport."

Claire's eyes widened comically as a smile bloomed across her face, "Uncle Nik? We're gonna see him today?"

Elena laughed, "Yup, he's actually going to be here soon. You might want to go get dressed and brush your teeth."

"Yippee!" The girl cheered, bolting out of bed and scampering to her room.

Elena sighed and lay back against the pillows once more. She could do this. It was only for the holidays.

* * *

"Uncle Nik, tell mama she needs to pack!" Claire said, stomping her foot for good measure.

"Sweetheart, I'm sure your mother has already packed," Klaus assured her, sitting down at the kitchen island and grabbing a cookie from the counter, "Besides, if she hasn't, then you'll just get to stay here with your favorite uncle!"

Her brows furrowed for a second as she looked up, "But what about Uncle Damon and Uncle Elijah and Uncle Jeremy and-"

"All right, all right," he cut her off, handing her a cookie as well, "I get it; you have a lot of uncles to choose from."

"I miss Uncle 'Lijah," she pouted, "He doesn't come over that much anymore. Mommy said he's too busy with-with Kaferi-"

"Katherine, love," Klaus corrected her with a smile

Elena smiled as she walked into the kitchen, fully dressed with a smile on her face, "Good morning, Nik."

Klaus stood and placed a kiss on her cheek before handing her a cup of coffee, "Good morning, beautiful. I wasn't sure what time your flight left…"

She accepted the cup gratefully and took a drink before answering, "It leaves at seven. We're all packed and ready to go, I've just been…procrastinating."

Sensing that she needed to talk, he looked over to Claire sitting on one of the barstools, "Darling, why don't you go play upstairs for a little while? Your mum and I need to talk about something important."

Claire's eyes lit up, "Like Christmas presents?"

"Yes, like Christmas presents," Klaus nodded, "So, I need you to go upstairs and I'll come get you when lunch is done, all right?"

"Okay!" She said excitedly before bolting out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Elena gave Klaus a look of gratitude as she sank into the abandoned barstool. She knew that they needed to talk about what was going to happen for the holidays, but at the same time, she didn't want to know.

" _He's_ going to be there, Elena," Klaus said softly, watching her intently for any sort of reaction.

She nodded, keeping her eyes down, "I know. I'll just stay with my parents or at the Boarding House. Rebekah and Finn can come see Claire, but I just don't want her around-"

"I know," he assured her, prying one of her hands away from the mug and rubbing it soothingly, "I don't think that my parents suspect anything. They thought you had taken care of it and none of my siblings have said anything."

"Good," she sighed in relief as she met his blue gaze, "I just didn't want to have to go back home. I don't want _him_ to even see her. He…he wouldn't handle it very well."

Klaus nodded, "I agree. He wasn't ready for this, but neither were you. However, you made it work."

"I would have had nothing without you," she admitted with a watery smile, "If you wouldn't have taken us in when you did, I don't know what would have happened."

"You would've survived, like you always do."

Elena let out a forced laugh, "Yeah, yeah. I wish I didn't have to fly out today. Christmas Eve should be spent in a nice warm bed, not a plane."

"I know," he smiled, "But once you're with your family, you'll forget all about this. Oh, and Damon called earlier. He and Andie invited the two of you over to the Boarding House for Christmas brunch. I believe Stefan and Caroline will be there as well."

"Good," she smiled back, a genuine smile this time, "I miss them so much. They hardly ever get enough time away to come visit here."

"I guess it's a good thing I already said you'd be there, huh, sweetheart?" Klaus asked, nudging her ribs lightly with his elbow.

She sighed happily, I don't know what I'd do without you."

* * *

"Do you have your mittens?" Nik asked, staring intently at the six-year-old in front of him, "And your fuzzy socks? What about your knit hat?"

Claire nodded, "Of course, Uncle Nik! Mama made sure that I had everything I needed 'cause she said it was cold where we're going."

"Indeed it is, little one," he nodded seriously before glancing at the check-in counter and seeing that Elena was almost finished checking their bags, "I would hate for you to come back with your nose looking like Rudolph's."

"No Rudolph!" She cried vehemently, "I'd rather be Clarice! She's so pretty, Uncle Nik!"

He chuckled, scooping Claire up into a bear hug, "I think you're prettier, sweetheart. I'm going to miss you."

"Then why don't you come with us? I'm sure there's enough room on the plane."

Klaus set her down and crouched next to her with a laugh, "I'm sure that there's more than enough room on the plane, love, but I'll be joining you and your mum a few days after Christmas. Someone has to stay here and make sure Santa doesn't forget about you because you're not home!"

"You're right!" She gasped, holding her hand over her mouth as her eyes widened comically.

Elena wandered over and looked at Claire skeptically, "Are you all right, baby?"

"Uncle Nik has to make sure that Santa delivers my presents!"

She laughed, "Oh, honey. I already called Santa a week ago! I told him that he needed to drop off your presents at nana and papa's house."

"Oh," she said, before she smiled, "Yay! I won't have to wait until I get home to open them!"

Klaus stood and looked at Elena critically, "Is everything set, then? Are you two ready to board?"

Elena nodded, "Yup, everything's taken care of. We should be landing around nine or so. And Jeremy will be picking us up from the airport."

"Good," he nodded, "Be sure to text me when you land. Otherwise, I won't get any sleep tonight."

" _Final boarding call for flight 9182 to Richmond, Virginia_ ," a voice said over the speakers.

Elena took Claire's hand and secured her purse before looking at Klaus, "We should get going. We don't want to miss our flight."

Klaus nodded and picked up Claire and wrapped his arm around Elena. Since he had taken them in, these two girls had become his entire world. He would do anything for either of them without a single question. He hugged them tight, kissing Elena's forehead and her daughter's cheek before setting the latter down on her feet, "Don't have too much fun without me, girls. I'll be there in a couple days. I love you, both!"

Elena smiled and Claire waved, "We love you, too, Nik. We'll see you soon."

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to stay with me and Bon?" Jeremy asked as he drove through Mystic Falls with Elena in the passenger seat.

The flight had been short and uneventful, causing Claire to fall asleep. And when they had finally landed, the girl refused to wake up; making Elena carry her through the airport until she found Jeremy who had been gracious enough to carry their bags with she held Claire.

Elena shook her head, "No, it's fine. Mom really wanted me to stay with them for the first few nights. After that, I'll probably stay at the Boarding House because there's so much space. And I'm sure Damon and Stefan would love to see Claire."

"And Andie," Jeremy laughed, "She's been trying to convince Damon to have a baby, but he keeps putting her off."

"Would this have anything to do with the vasectomy he got when he was in college?" She giggled, remembering how he wanted to sleep with anything with a pulse without the risk of reproducing, "Because I'm sure that's a story she'd _love_ to hear about her fiancé."

He smiled, "The only ones who know about that are you, me, and Stefan. I'm pretty sure if Andie knew, she'd break off the engagement."

"Damon should really be honest about that type of thing," she shook her head in mock disapproval, but in all honesty, she could never see Damon as a father. He was more of a cool uncle or a stepfather at most."

"Did you text Nik?" He asked as they pulled into the driveway of their family home.

"Yeah, as soon as the plane hit the ground," she smiled, "Not that he'll get any sleep with us away from him anyway."

Jeremy pursed his lips slightly as he turned off the car and gave her a sideways glance, "What's the deal with you two anyway? I mean, you're always together and-"

"He's like my best friend. Jer," she said softly, a small smile curling on her lips, letting the simple lie slip from her lips, "He took me in when I was pregnant and scared. He helped me raise Claire and never once pushed me for anything. He knows where we stand; he's just protective of his girls is all. Elijah and Finn are the same exact way. The only difference is that they have other women in their life now, but before, I couldn't keep them away even if I wanted to."

Truth was, they had had moments, nights where they sought comfort in each other for everything that had happened. And sometimes she had wished it was more and she knew that he did, too, but her heart still belonged to another.

"I guess," he nodded in understanding, "You two are my girls, too."

Elena laughed, "We're everyone's girls."

He laughed with her, before slinging his arm around her shoulder, "We should probably get inside and get Claire to sleep. Bon and I will be over in the morning. How early do you think she'll get up?"

She shrugged, "Claire's normally up around eight, but tomorrow _is_ Christmas. I would plan for seven just to be sure."

"Seven it is."

* * *

Elena had about five seconds warning before her bedroom door flew open and an excited five-year-old landed on her stomach with a heavy thud.

"Mom! Mom! Mama!" Claire squealed, shaking Elena roughly, "Mama! Santa came! Get up! Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Bonnie are already here! Come on!"

She groaned, rolling over and pushing the excited child off of her chest, "Can't mama have five more minutes?"

"Nope!" Her daughter said sternly, "Nana made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and everyone's waiting on you!"

"Okay, okay," she huffed, pulling herself into an upright position, "Let me get dressed and I'll be right down, okay, Claire-bear?"

The little girl nodded enthusiastically, "Okay, Mama!"

Elena smiled as her daughter scampered from the room. Getting up, she reached her suitcase and pulled out a pair of jeans and a long sleeved black shirt. Once she was dressed, she surveyed herself in the mirror and simply pursed her lips. For the most part, her makeup was still in place, so she wiped the excess off from around her eyes and pulled her hair into a messy topknot.

Pulling on beige slippers, she made her way downstairs, smiling at the dark skinned girl that waited for her in the kitchen with a mug of coffee.

"I figured you might need this after how late your flight was last night," Bonnie said as she handed Elena the mug, "It's really good to have you back. Jeremy wouldn't shut up about it for weeks."

"Of course not," the brunette giggled and took a deep drink from the mug, "God, I forgot how cold it is back here. You don't think it'll snow, do you?"

Bonnie grimaced and motioned towards the bay window of the kitchen, "Too late. It started snowing earlier this morning. Jeremy made me drive so he wouldn't have to."

Elena smiled, peering into the living room and seeing Jeremy sitting with Claire on his lap as she finished eating while her parents were standing near the fireplace. She sighed; this had been the closest she'd been to them in the past six years. Her home was exactly how she remembered it, her room the exact way she left it when she was only seventeen.

"What're you thinking about?" Bonnie asked softly, a sad smile pulling at her lips.

She shrugged, clutching the mug in her hands a little firmer, "It just feels like I've missed out on so much. I feel like by coming here for the holidays, Claire and I are interrupting everyone else's plans. Like, you and Jeremy normally go visit your parents and-"

"Elena, everyone's glad you're back," the petite girl said, placing her hand on Elena's shoulder, "I haven't seen you since Claire was born and Jeremy only sees you twice a year at most. We know why you had to leave; we're not judging you. But Claire is getting older now, she's bound to have questions if she hasn't already."

"She thinks Nik's her father," she admitted shyly, "I told her he's not, but he's really the only father figure she has. I haven't dated anyone or anything and they share the same last name."

Bonnie nodded solemnly, knowing what a hard place her friend was in, "Are you ever going to tell him about her?"

"I've made it five years without doing so," she shrugged, walking to the coffee maker and refilling her mug, "And I'd like to get through the next thirteen years without it, too, but that's just wishful thinking. I know that it's going to happen sooner or later, but I'm not ready." She took a deep breath and tried to keep away the tears that were prickling behind her eyes, "He was the love of my life, Bon. And I left him."

"You did it because you had to," Bonnie reminded her, her brows creasing, "You didn't have a choice. You decided to keep your little girl and I can bet that there's not a day that goes by that you regret it."

Elena sniffled, "I could never regret Claire. I love her more than anything."

"Exactly," her friend said before taking her hand and leading her towards the living room, "Now let's go open presents."

* * *

"Mama, are we gonna see Uncle Damon?" Claire asked as they walked up the driveway for the Boarding House.

Damon had been the only Salvatore to visit New Orleans while Elena had been gone. He had been there for Claire's birth, first word, and her first days of preschool and kindergarten. Call it perfect timing if you will, but he always visited when the 'Salvatore Intuition' kicked in and told him that Claire was going to hit a milestone of some-sort.

"Yep," Elena answered, a small smile forming on her lips at how many times she's knocked on the door in the past, "Uncle Damon and Stefan live here."

"Who's Stefan?" The little girl asked as Elena knocked on the door.

"Stefan is Uncle Damon's brother. He's never come to visit us before because he has a lot of work to do," she answered.

The girls shivered from the cold before the heavy oak door swung open and revealed a raven-haired man with a huge smile on his face.

"Uncle Damon!" Claire squealed, jumping into his arms.

Damon scooped her up and kissed her head, "Merry Christmas, Clarabella!"

Elena watched the two interact. She loved how well they got along and it made her heart sing.

"And we can't forget your beautiful mother," Damon said, pulling her from her trance as he wrapped the arm that wasn't holding Claire around her. He gave her a sweet smile and kissed her forehead as he whispered, "Merry Christmas, kitten."

"Merry Christmas, Damon," she giggled, kissing his cheek as he let her go, "Thank you for inviting us."

"You're family," he shrugged, as he led her inside, Claire still clinging to him tightly, "Besides, maybe Andie will finally be quiet about kids when she's forced to be around Claire," he looked at the girl in question and grinned, "Do you still bite?"

"Damon!"

Claire shook her head as she scrunched her nose, "Mama bit me back when I bit a kid at school. I didn't like it."

"Damn," he said, his grin falling slightly as they walked into the parlor. He set Claire down next to the Christmas tree and turned to Elena, "I hope you don't mind, but Barbie and Ken went to her house for Christmas. I don't know when they'll be back."

Elena shook her head, "Don't call them that. I'm sure Stefan doesn't appreciate it."

"Since Stefan is Uncle Damon's brother, does that make him my uncle, too?" Claire asked as she set down a present she had been shaking.

Damon laughed, "No. He can't be your uncle because he doesn't love you even a tiny bit as much as I do."

Elena's reprimand was frozen in her throat as a woman with blonde hair came through the doorway, a huge fake smile on her face, "Oh, Elena! It's so good to see you!"

"Hi, Andie," she said, accepting the woman's hug, "It's great to be back."

The blonde pulled away and squealed when she saw Claire, piling on the theatrics, "She's _so_ cute! How old is she?"

"She's five," Damon answered, picking up the little girl and setting her on his hip and making introductions, "And her name is Claire."

Andie smiled brightly and held out her hand to Claire, "Hi, Claire. I'm Andie."

Claire scrunched up her face, "That's a boy's name."

"Claire!" Her mother gasped in embarrassment before turning to Andie, "I'm sorry. She's still young; she doesn't really have a filter yet."

Andie stiffened slightly before giving a forced smile, "No, it's fine. I'm actually going to see if the food is done. Why don't you let Claire open the presents you got her?"

After Andie had left, Elena turned to Damon and creased her eyebrows at him, "Did you really get engaged to her after _two_ months?"

"I'm not getting any younger," he shrugged, putting Claire down and handing her one of the presents from under the tree, "She came along and I figured it was about time I actually settled down."

Claire happily tore into all the gifts Damon had bought her as Elena watched happily. Damon was such a good role model for Claire, most of the time, anyway. Her presents had consisted of three stuffed animals, a monogrammed necklace, a doll, a parka, and a year's worth of clothes money on a giftcard.

"Damon," Elena sighed, looking at everything he had gotten her, "This is too much. She's only five-"

"And I haven't seen her since I started dating Andie," he cut her off, a smile tugging at his lips, "I normally take her back to school shopping and with how crazy the business was in September, I didn't get a chance to do that. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I was lucky to just make it to her first day of kindergarten."

She sighed, leaning into him on the couch, "You and Nik make sure we're always taken care of, don't you?"

Damon smirked and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "You bet your ass we do. Speak of the devil, when is Nik flying in? I need my drinking buddy back."

"He'll be coming in on the twenty-seventh, I think. He had a lot of business to finish up," she said, watching Claire play with her doll in front of the fireplace. Andie hadn't made an appearance since she left for the kitchen and it made Elena feel bad. Worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, she turned to face Damon, "Andie isn't angry with Claire, is she? She doesn't understand, she's only five-"

He shook his head, "I doubt it. She's probably just trying to see how she can manipulate this situation so it can work for her. We've been engaged for almost a year now and her biological clock's ticking."

"I take it that you haven't told her about your little _snip-snip_?" The brunette teased, stifling a giggle.

"Nope," he answered, popping the p, "I probably should though, huh?"

"If you want kids, you should."

Damon shuddered, "Definitely not. I'd rather have her think I'm sterile than go get the damned thing reversed. Kids and I don't mix."

"You and Claire get along just fine," she pointed out with a smile.

"That's because she's _yours_ ," he said as if it made all the difference in the world, "We both know that if I would've dated you in high school, I would've never had it done it the first place. The world needs more baby Elenas running around."

Elena rolled her eyes. Damon had never been secretive about his feelings for her, but she felt like they just meshed better as friends. She was the type of person to sit at home and read a book, but he was the type of person to go out every night and have the time of his life. No, he was definitely best friend material and he respected that.

"So, how's your life going, babe? What're you up to in New Orleans?" He asked, lightening the atmosphere a little.

She laughed, "I'm still writing for the paper. I've had a few offers on the book I wrote, but I'm not ready to publish it yet. I want to wait until Claire s a little older." She smiled at that. She had been working on a book since she right after she found out she was pregnant and she had about three publishers trying to get her to print it.

"That's great!" Damon said, a huge smile on his face, "I'm so proud of you!"

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled, slightly embarrassed, "How are things at work for you and Andie?"

He shrugged, "Everything's good. We have a few new artists on our label and they seem to be doing good. Andie's still doing the press part of it and she's great at it. She can really spin a story when one of them messes up." He sighed and looked at her, his lips pursing slightly, "And since I _know_ you're not going to ask, _he's_ still signed with us. As a matter of fact, his third album went platinum last month."

Elena felt like her throat was constricting. Of course, she always knew that _he'd_ be successful with what he wanted to do. She knew it from the second she heard him sing to her when she was sick in the hospital with pneumonia.

Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she nodded, "That's good. I'm happy for him."

He looked unconvinced, but continued anyway, "He just finished up his tour. I think Andie will be going over there soon to talk about everything and make a press release. Did you…did you think about going over there? I could go with you-"

"I'm not ready," she whispered, looking down at her hands in her lap, "I know he deserves to know about Claire, but the more I think about it, the more angry I get with him for not being there. I know it wasn't his fault and he didn't know, but I can't help it."

"I know, babe," Damon assured her softly, stilling her hands with his own and holding them tightly, "But you're going to be here, for what, two weeks? It's a small town, Elena. You're bound to run into him eventually."

She fidgeted slightly, "Well, that leads to my next question, actually. I was wondering if Claire and I could stay here when Nik gets here. My mom doesn't really like him and-"

"Say no more," he said with a smirk, "My home is your home, it always has been. Besides, Andie's leaving to go see her family so it'll be nice not to be alone for the New Year."

"Thank you, Damon," Elena said, hugging him tightly.

"Anything for you, kitten."

* * *

 **So...terrible? Good? Want to read more?**

 **Review and let me know!**

 **~Grace**


	2. Chapter 2

**Shorter than the first chapter, but I hope you all don't mind.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"Stop giving her cookies!" Elena scolded Jeremy as she caught him red-handed giving a handful of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to his niece.

The day after Christmas was always filled with baking at the Gilbert home and no one dared to ever complain. Currently, Bonnie, Jeremy, Elena, and Claire were waiting for another batch of cookies to come out of the oven as they mixed brownie batter. The kitchen was messy to say the least; flour covered almost every cabinet and there were even a few stray chocolate chips littering the tile floors.

Jeremy gave his sister a look of exasperation, "Claire needs chocolate. It's practically on that food group pyramid!"

"Sugars are only at the top of that, Jeremy," she sighed, packaging up a few dozen cookies to go out to the neighbors later, "Meaning that she should get the least amount."

"Cocoa beans grow on trees, therefore they're a fruit!" He shot back, popping a cookie into his own mouth.

She laughed and swatted him out of the kitchen as the oven timer went off. Bonnie grabbed an oven mitt and pulled out the pan before replacing it with another one. She quickly slid a spatula under each cookie and put them on a cooling rack and smiled at Elena, "You know, he's been talking about this for the past week. Apparently your mom doesn't bake as much now that you're not here."

Elena felt the guilt creep into her chest, but shook it off before it had time to manifest. She looked at Bonnie as she tied the ribbon on the container, "He just missed me. I was always the superior baker in the family."

"Don't tell me I need to deflate your ego a bit," the dark skinned girl laughed as she poured the brownie batter into a pan she had just greased, "Sometimes I feel like you spend too much time with Damon."

"Like that would be a bad thing," she said, rolling her eyes, "He's grown up a lot since high school. I mean, at least he graduated on time from college! That's good, right?"

Bonnie sighed, "I seriously don't know how he made it through. I was so sure that he was going to repeat his senior year. Again!"

"He's smart," the brunette said matter-of-factly as she dipped her finger into the pan of batter and licked it clean, "And he seems to be doing really well for himself now. I'm proud of him."

Bonnie murmured her approval as the pair continued to float around the kitchen. Jeremy had to be shooed out, twice, but that didn't hinder their spirits in the slightest. He and Claire were currently holed up in the living room watching a Christmas rerun and it made Elena smile. She knew that Jeremy didn't get to see Claire nearly often enough, but when they were together they were inseparable.

"When's Nik flying in tomorrow?" Bonnie asked as they boxed up the last of the cookies, "I'm surprised he wasn't here for Christmas…"

Elena shrugged, "He couldn't get away from work. At home, he normally spends the morning with us before finishing up business. Being away right now was just too much and Claire understands that. But he'll be arriving in the morning. I think Damon's picking him up and taking him over to the Mikaelsons' before they pick me up."

"Have you told your mom, yet?"

"Told me what?" Miranda asked as she swept into the kitchen, pulling off her gloves and coat, "Sorry we took so long, the market was a madhouse. I swear, people need to start preparing better for the holidays."

Elena laughed, "Technically _you_ weren't prepared for the holidays if you had to go to the market the day after Christmas."

"If your father hadn't eaten all of the pumpkin pie, we wouldn't have had a problem," her mother huffed as Grayson brought in the grocery bag and placed the pie in the fridge.

"Cookies?" Grayson's eyes lit up as he took in the festive packaging that were housing the delectable sweets.

Bonnie smiled, "Have at it, Gray. We just need to save eight packages. The rest are free game."

"Why couldn't you have made cookies yesterday?" Miranda grumbled to herself as she watched her husband sneak away to the living room with two boxes of cookies. She smiled despite herself and turned back to Elena, "Now, what did you have to tell me?"

The brunette fidgeted slightly as Bonnie slipped out of the room after Grayson, "Well, Nik's flying in tomorrow and I know that you don't like him staying here. So, Claire and I will be staying at the Boarding House-"

"It's not that I don't like Nik-"

"Mom, you made him sleep outside without a blanket in the middle of fall when we were teenagers," Elena cut in, her lips pursed as she remembered that particularly cold October night. And it had just so happened to rain as well.

Miranda threw her hands up in the air, "That was _years_ ago, Elena. I'm completely civil to him when we visit-"

"I just really don't feel like carting a popsicle back to Louisiana with me," the brunette said, "And Damon doesn't have a problem with us staying there. You know how much he adores Claire."

"And if you moved back, Damon would be able to spend as much time with Claire as he wanted," her mother hinted, a sly smile on her lips, "I always thought you and Damon would look good together."

"Mom," Elena whined, "We've been over this. Damon and I are just friends. We always have been and we always will be. He's with Andie and he's happy. He deserves that."

"And what do you deserve, baby?" Miranda asked, her eyes growing sad, "You've had to raise Claire for five years by yourself. Doesn't she deserve to call someone 'daddy'? Don't you deserve to be happy?"

The brunette faltered. She knew she had been putting off her own life to make sure that every need of Claire's was met without question. She sighed, "My daughter is more important than my love life. And Nik and Damon have been there every step of the way with Claire. Elijah, Finn, and Jeremy have all been there, too, but Nik and Damon know everything about her and love her like she was their own."

"That's not the real reason you haven't been dating, is it? Are you and Nik…?"

"Nik and I have an understanding," Elena said uncomfortably.

Miranda gave her a knowing look, "Do you love him?"

"Of course I do. I-"

"Are you in love with him?" Her mother rephrased her question.

Elena stilled for a moment. She knew she loved Nik; it was inevitable after everything he had done for her. But was she in love with him? She sighed and sat down on the barstool at the island, "No. I'm not in love with him. I can't be."

"Can't be or won't be, baby?"

"Both," she shrugged, looking up at her mom hopelessly, "My heart isn't even mine to give."

* * *

After dinner, Grayson and Miranda had retired early, leaving Bonnie, Jeremy, Elena, and Claire downstairs watching reruns of old Christmas movies. Bonnie and Jeremy were snuggled on the oversized chair in the living room while Elena was stretched out across the couch and Claire was laying in front of the fire with her stuffed animals from Damon.

A smile flittered across Elena's face at how natural everything seemed. She had missed feeling surrounded by family and, for the first time, she was happy to be back.

"I'll get it," Elena said as a knock sounded against the front door. She jumped up and wrapped a maroon blanket around her shoulders as she padded towards the door while wondering who would be knocking at almost nine at night.

Opening the door, she was met by a very familiar sight of a tall man with chestnut hair and a short woman with red hair.

"I hope it's not too late to be calling," Finn apologized as he held out his hand, "We weren't able to see Claire on Christmas and-"

Elena laughed and brushed his hand aside, wrapping her arms around his waist instead before she hugged Sage as well. Pulling back, she motioned them inside and smiled, "I meant to call you guys yesterday, but we just got too busy. Claire's in the living room with Jer and Bon if you want to say hi."

Finn nodded eagerly as he disappeared into the family room. Elena smiled and looked at Sage, "Do you want some coffee? I think we have some left."

Sage nodded and followed Elena into the kitchen, a nervous look on her face. The brunette poured a mug of coffee and handed it to her, her brows pulled together, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

The redhead sighed and looked down at the mug in her hands, " _He_ knows you're here for the holidays."

Elena stopped instantly, her eyes snapping up to meet blue ones. Her voice shook slightly as she spoke, "How?"

"He overheard Elijah talking to Nik about flying in yesterday," Sage said regretfully, "He knew that Nik would never leave you alone for Christmas and he put two and two together."

"Shit," Elena grumbled, pouring herself a mug of coffee as well. She had wanted to stay under the radar as long as possible, but it looked as if it were unavoidable now.

"Esther and Mikael don't know about it, though," the redhead said with a half smile, "We've all been keeping it under wraps. They don't even know you have a child in general."

"They're going to figure it out," Elena huffed, "And I don't even have a good back story. I mean, Claire is five. They're going to realize that I've been gone for six years and-"

"The baby's Nik's," Sage said forcefully, cutting her off, "You ran away to New Orleans and it's his baby. Claire has his last name, they won't question it and if they do, we'll all back you up. You know that Mikael doesn't care much for Nik anyway."

The brunette pondered the story for a moment before her shoulders sagged, "And what happens when they notice that Claire calls him 'Uncle Nik' and not 'Daddy'? That's bound to raise some suspicions."

"Keep the child away from them."

"Because that's _so_ easy. They're technically grandparents, you know they'll want to see her."

"See them when Nik isn't with you," Sage suggested, "They won't see how they interact then."

They sat in silence as they heard laughs coming from the living room. They both stood and made their way over smiling at the picture. Finn was holding Claire as Bonnie and Jeremy laughed about something. Claire was excited about the book that Finn had bought her and was desperately trying to get him to read it to her.

"Please, Uncle Finn?" She begged, looking up at him with wide doe eyes, "It's almost my bedtime anyway and it can be my bedtime story!"

"It's way passed your bedtime, little lady," Elena cut in with a smile on her face, "And you can only have one bedtime story tonight."

"Would you mind, love?" Finn asked, looking at Elena for permission.

The brunette laughed and shook her head, "No, it's fine. You can take her upstairs and tuck her in. She's staying in Jer's old room."

Finn smiled and placed a kiss on Sage's cheek as he passed her and went upstairs. He adored spending time with his niece and he didn't get to do it as often now that he was married.

Elena took a seat on the couch and Sage followed, sighing when she finally sat. She looked over to Bonnie and Jeremy as she spoke, "Are you two spending the night or are you headed home?"

"We were just waiting until Claire went to sleep," Jeremy shrugged, "We'll probably head out soon. Do you need any help getting all your bags to the Boarding House?"

"Boarding House?" Sage asked, her face showing her confusion.

"Nik and my mom don't always get along and I asked Damon if we could stay there for the rest of our vacation," Elena answered Sage before turning to her brother, "But Nik and Damon should have it handled. I plan on making dinner on New Year's Eve for everyone if you want to stop by."

"Miss out on my sister's awesome cooking?" Jeremy asked with a smile on his face, "Not gonna happen."

* * *

 **Be sure to leave a review!**

 **~Grace**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

"There're my girls!" Klaus said excitedly as he opened the door of the Boarding House and was greeted by Elena and Claire. He scooped Claire up in his arms and kissed the top of her head delicately.

"Uncle Nik! Look where we get to stay for our 'cation! It's like a castle!" The little girl smiled, twirling around in the foyer as soon as Klaus put her down.

He laughed, "You might want to thank Uncle Damon for that, sweetheart. It's his home."

He watched as Claire nodded and took off before turning to Elena. He gave her a smile and pulled her into his arms, nuzzling his face against her hair. "It's so good to see you," he whispered, holding her tightly, "I don't think I've ever been away from the two of you for longer than a day. I hardly slept."

Elena smiled and hugged him tightly, "I know. I'm sorry you couldn't come with us, but at least we get to spend New Years together, though."

He pulled back and looked her over, pleased when he noticed she still looked the same. Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Have you seen _him_ yet? I heard from Finn that he knows you're here now…"

"Sage filled me in last night," Elena nodded, "She told me to just say that you're Claire's father. That it would just be easier in the long run because she has your last name already, too."

Klaus snorted, "Have you seen your daughter? We could pass her off as Elijah's easily, but she's the spitting image of her father, Elena. If anyone sees them in a room together, they'll be able to tell."

"You know Katherine would never be on board with that," she sighed, walking into the parlor and collapsing onto the couch as he followed, "I can't hide her and I can't deny she's mine. I know she looks like me, too, but she mirrors him more and more every day."

"We could go back home-"

"I can't run away again. I've been avoiding coming home for six years, Nik. _Six years_. Being with my parents and Jeremy and Bonnie reminded me how much I missed it here. I love the life we've built for ourselves in New Orleans, but this will always be my home," she finished softly, looking over at his pained blue eyes.

She hated hurting him, she truly did, but Mystic Falls was where she was born. It was where she grew up and went to school. Where she fell in love for the first time and had her heart reduced to nothing but a bloody pulp. It may hold bad memories, but it was still her _home_.

Klaus nodded slowly, taking her hand and squeezing it gently, "If you don't want to run from this, then we'll stay. We'll get through the holidays and we'll simply ignore him. Claire won't know anything and we'll avoid my parents. I doubt anyone will ask about her father anyway."

"I hope not."

* * *

"You didn't have to cook for me, really," Damon said with a small smile as they all sat around the dinner table.

As soon as Klaus had finished talking with Elena, he and Damon had drank through nearly two bottles of Bourbon and their buzz was starting to wear off. Elena had made her famous lasagna that had both men salivating as soon as she set it on the table and she dished it out accordingly, making sure that they both got more than enough.

"Really, it's the least I could do," she assured him, serving Claire next and being sure to cut it up into smaller bites, "You're letting us stay here and that means a lot."

"If he's such a good host, maybe he should've prepared dinner, then," Nik mockingly chided as he took a bite.

Elena giggled and turned to Damon with a smile, "Where's Andie? I thought she would be joining us."

The raven-haired man looked uncomfortable for a moment as he swallowed the food in his mouth. Looking at her guiltily, he confessed, "She had an interview tonight. The one I told you about on Christmas. Apparently, she just couldn't wait to make the press release until after the New Year, so she decided to go over there tonight."

Klaus' eyes flashed to Damon's and he nearly growled. Klaus didn't want to put Elena in an awkward position by staying there if Andie was fraternizing with the enemy.

"Oh," the brunette said, sitting back down in her own chair and pushing her food around her plate, "Well, they say the information is always best when it's fresh. She probably doesn't want him to forget anything. It's completely understandable."

The meal continued with Elena's silence as the men talked to Claire about anything and everything. They both wanted to know how she had been enjoying the change of scenery and if she had a good Christmas.

"You know," Klaus said, a smirk on his face, "Santa didn't deliver _all_ your presents to Nana and Papa's. A few of them still came at home for you."

Claire's eyes widened, "Did you bring them with you?"

"Of course! I have them waiting under Uncle Damon's Christmas tree already," he said, "Why don't you go wait in the parlor while I help your mum clean up?"

Elena smiled as she watched Claire tear off to the parlor in a hurry before she turned to Klaus, "Why don't you go let her open her presents, Nik? I don't need help, I've got it."

"Are you sure?" Klaus asked, concern crossing his face as he eyed her critically, "I'm sure she can wait a few moments-"

She waved her hand in dismissal, plastering on a smile, "It's fine. You didn't get to spend Christmas with her. I'm sure she'll enjoy it."

He hesitated for a moment before following Claire into the parlor with a huge smile on his face.

Elena let out a deep breath as she sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. Visiting for the holidays had turned out to be even more stressful that she had first thought. She knew that her life was far from complicated, but she just wanted the holidays to be as painless as possible.

"Forget I'm here?" Damon asked, amused when she jumped at the sound of his voice, "You know, I'm pretty good at listening. That's one of the reasons you liked me so much in high school."

She sighed and opened her eyes, giving him a crooked smile, "There were a lot of reasons I liked you in high school. And one of the big ones was that you owned a '69 baby blue Camaro that was in _pristine_ condition. And, you let me drive it, of course."

"You were the only other person I've ever let drive it, even after all these years," he smirked back, a sense of pride swelling in his chest, "You know, I still have it. And I make sure to take excellent care of it."

"You still have it?" She asked in surprise, her mouth dropping open.

He shrugged in nonchalance, "I couldn't get rid of my girl's favorite car. Now, come on. I'll help you with the dishes."

* * *

Damon was sitting with Claire in his lap as Elena and Klaus were sitting across from him on the couch in the parlor. Klaus had brought as many presents as he could fit in his suitcase and Claire thoroughly enjoyed ripping the paper off of every single one.

"You know," Elena said, curling under Klaus' arm, "She's going to be ridiculously spoiled when she gets older. And I'm totally not being responsible for that."

Klaus smiled and looked at the sleeping girl in Damon's lap, "Who cares if she's spoiled? She's happy and healthy and after the start she had in life, I'd say she deserves it."

Elena grimaced slightly, remembering how Claire had spent almost four months in the hospital after she had been born. Her daughter had been born at thirty-three weeks, weighing only four pounds at the time. Claire's lungs hadn't developed completely and she had to be on a ventilator, but Elena hardly ever left her side, as did Damon and Klaus. Claire was more loved than any other child that Elena had ever known, even if her father wasn't in the picture.

"I guess so," the brunette admitted softly, sighing when Klaus pressed a kiss to her temple.

"What are your plans for tomorrow?" Damon asked Elena, moving Claire's head onto his shoulder and securing her against him, "I didn't know if you wanted to go see a movie or something."

Klaus looked at Elena and shrugged before turning his attention back to Damon, "I don't know. I need to drop by my parents' tomorrow, but maybe you could take the girls and have fun. Unless, you're busy with Andie."

Klaus had never been threatened by the way Damon and Elena interacted. Yes, he knew that Damon harbored feelings for her, but he also knew that he'd never cross that line. Elena thought of Damon as her best friend and he'd rather be in her life as that than nothing at all.

"Andie's working. Again," the raven-haired man admitted, "She doesn't seem to want to take a day off lately."

Elena smiled sadly before standing and walking over to Damon, "Why don't you two figure out what we're doing tomorrow and I'll go put Claire to bed, okay? It's way passed her bedtime, anyway."

Damon nodded and handed off the sleeping girl to the brunette, smiling at the picture they made. Claire nuzzled her face in Elena's hair as Klaus stood and kissed the girl's head softly.

"Do you want me to go up with you?" He asked, his blue eyes concerned.

Elena waved him off and smiled, "No, it's fine. Just figure out what we're doing tomorrow and I'll be down in just a few minutes."

Klaus nodded and watched the as she carried Claire away. He could tell that she was nervous about being home and he didn't blame her. He just wanted to fix it, but he didn't know how.

"Do you want something to drink?" Damon asked as he stood and walked over to the liquor cart, "I know today must've been stressful with all the flying and such."

Klaus snorted, "Being away from the girls is all the stress I can take, but I'm sure a glass of Scotch wouldn't hurt."

They smiled knowingly at each other as Damon poured them each a glass and handed the blond his, "What time is it? Andie should've been done by now…"

"It's half-passed nine," Klaus answered, looking down at his watch, "I can't imagine that _he_ would have that much to say."

Damon shrugged, "He knows Elena's in town now, Nik. And he knows that you're staying here. He probably figured out that she's staying here, too, and he's trying to get anything he can out of Andie."

"Why did you have to get engaged to someone who talks so much?" Klaus groaned, tipping the glass in his hand and swallowing the amber liquid in a single gulp, "He can't know about Claire, I trust that you told Andie that, right?"

The raven-haired man squirmed, "I thought I had mentioned it, but I can't be sure. Besides, Andie doesn't know that he's the father. She thinks that Elena had a one night stand and left town."

Klaus' biting retort died on his lips as the front door opened and Andie waltzed in giggling like a schoolgirl. She was drunk, that much was obvious as she felt for the furniture around the foyer and held on for dear life.

"You didn't have to drive me home," she giggled, clutching the table tightly, "I could've called Damon. He would've been a perfect gentleman and picked me up!"

"Darling, why don't you go sit down in the parlor?" A man's voice suggested, a strong British accent lacing the tone, "I'll go fetch you a glass of water."

"Shit," Damon muttered, turning his icy blue eyes to Klaus, "He wasn't supposed to be here."

"You're telling me," Klaus growled, walking stiffly towards the kitchen to intercept his brother as Damon followed behind.

"Ah, brother," the man in question exclaimed, seeing Klaus silently seething by the doorway as he filled up a glass, "I heard that you were staying with Damon. It's wonderful that you've finally decided to come home for the holidays."

"Of course-"

"Oh, Damon, mate, I hope you don't mind that I gave Andie a ride home," the man said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "You know her, she just doesn't know when to turn down a drink. It's the least I could do."

Damon and Klaus stared after him with their mouths gaping open slightly. _He_ was being so nonchalant about being in Damon's house under the circumstances. The only thing Klaus could think of was getting upstairs and making Elena stay there until _he_ was gone.

* * *

Elena had safely tucked Claire into bed, smiling down lovingly at her daughter. In New Orleans, she had everything she could want, she truly did. She had long ago put any aspect of romance on the back burner in choice of raising her daughter instead. Claire was important to her and if her father wasn't in the picture, she had to work overtime to make up for it.

Standing up from the bed, Elena turned towards the doorway and flickered off the light. She was just about to close the door when a little voice stopped her.

"Mama?" Claire asked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her doe eyes.

Elena smiled and walked back in, sitting on the edge of the bed once more, "Yes, Claire-bear? Do you need something?"

The little girl nodded, "Can I have some water? My throat feels scratchy."

"Of course," she answered immediately, ducking down and placing a kiss on her forehead before standing up, "I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay," Claire yawned, "I love you."

It was moments like this that made Elena realize how right she had been to keep her daughter. Claire kept her sane and gave her purpose when everything else looked so bleak. She was beyond lucky to have been blessed with such an angel for a child.

"I love you, too, baby," Elena murmured as she shut the door behind her and padded down the stairs.

It had been a long few days and she could feel the exhaustion setting in. She hadn't been away from Klaus this long before and she was grateful that he was finally with her again. She relied on him more for support than anything else and she always tried to make that clear to him, but somehow the lines always ended up blurring along the way. Of course, it didn't help that their clothes would end up spewed across his or her apartment.

Reaching the landing of the stairs, she heard a girlish giggle and concluded that Andie had finally gotten home. She smiled knowing that Damon had missed her and he would probably be pleased that she'd returned somewhat early.

Rounding the corner to the parlor, her eyes fell on Andie slightly slumped over on the couch, but her smile turned to shock as she noticed the man that was standing in front of her.

His head shot up and they locked eyes as Elena came to a standstill.

His hair was still a dark chestnut and his skin was pale and sculpted. His eyes, the same liquid mahogany she had fallen in love with, drank her in at the same time. She could feel what his proximity was doing to her, what it had always done to her. Her skin felt like it was on fire, yet she yearned to be closer.

"Elena," her name fell from his lips like it was the sweetest thing in the world. He couldn't believe that she was finally in front of him after six years. If he could only take a few steps, he would be right in front of her.

She swallowed noisily, her mind going blank as soon as she heard his voice. It had been too long yet not long enough. She gathered herself and attempted to steel her voice as she spoke, "Kol."

Kol had intended to say something witty or, at the very least, something that didn't make him sound like a complete idiot. And when he spoke, he was disappointed that it was the latter that flowed past his lips.

"You look…good," he said softly, completely ignoring the drunken woman in front of him.

Elena blinked owlishly, her mind still thoroughly in shock. Why was he here? Her eyes searched for the blue eyes she was so familiar with as Damon and Klaus crashed through the doorway, both of them looking distraught.

Klaus' jaw clenched as he went to Elena's side, hooking his arm around her waist in a protective gesture. He could tell that she was upset, but she wasn't sure to cope with the situation at hand.

Kol snorted at the little display of affection, "Are you two together now? You left me, 'Lena, so you could run off and be with _him_?"

"Shut your mouth, Kol," Klaus warned, tightening his arm around her, "You don't know anything."

Elena bit her lip slightly and looked at Damon, "Maybe you should get Andie to bed. I'm sure she's…tired."

The raven-haired man looked between the two other men in the room before nodding curtly and collecting his woman awkwardly from the couch and taking her stumbling form upstairs.

"If you wanted to talk to me alone, darling, all you had to do was ask," Kol smirked as he waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her, "You can always ask your guard dog to take a hike, too."

The blond growled, "You're not going to be alone with her. I won't allow it."

"What, do you speak for her now, too?" Kol sneered, "I knew you used to have an infatuation with her, but I didn't realize how far you'd taken it. You get into her pants yet? She does this thing with her tongue-"

Suddenly, Klaus had closed the gap between him and his brother, grabbing the latter by the lapels of his jacket as he stared down at him menacingly, "You will _not_ talk about her like that, do you understand me, little brother?"

"Go ahead, Nik," the younger man smirked, "You can have her, I've been done with her for awhile."

Elena's stomach twisted painfully. She knew that it was her fault for everything that had happened, but the way he spoke of her sounded as if he never cared about her at all.

"Six years, Kol!" Klaus roared, "Do you really think I'm jealous of you after six years? I was there for her, I took care of her! And what were you doing? Sitting on your lazy arse in a tour bus!"

"She left me, remember?" Kol shouted back, "I had no idea where she'd gone and then her name pops up in a fucking article she wrote for a paper in New Orleans! She ran away to be with you! My _brother_!"

"Shut your mouth before I shut it for you, you little twit!" Klaus growled, "You insolent, spoilt-"

"Mama?" Claire said from the doorway, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, "You forgot my water and then I heard yelling."

Kol looked around his brother and his eyes widened comically as he saw the little girl in her pale pink pajamas. Her chocolate hair was messy from sleep and her dark eyes looked so familiar to him. His mouth opened and closed a couple times, but he was at a loss for words.

Elena rushed to Claire and scooped her up into her arms, hoping to shield her from Kol's eyes, but it was too late. He was staring at her daughter as if he was a man seeing light for the first time in his life.

"I'll go grab her a glass of water," Klaus said, wanting to get Claire out of sight as soon as possible. He didn't want Kol to put together anything yet.

"Mama?" Kol parroted as soon as Klaus left the room. His eyes were nearly bugging out of his head as he learned that the woman he loved after all these years was now a mother. He cleared his throat, still dazed, "Did she just call you… _mama_?"

The brunette swallowed thickly and held Claire tightly as she nodded, "Claire's my daughter."

* * *

 **Be sure to leave a review!**

 **~Grace**


	4. Chapter 4

**Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

"H-how old is she?" Kol asked, his voice shaking slightly.

He didn't know the first thing about kids, but he had observed that the girl was walking and talking. She couldn't be too old, but the timeline…

"She's five," Elena said, rubbing her daughter's back, "She'll be six in July."

Just as another question was about to pass his lips, Klaus rushed into the room, holding a glass of water. He took Claire from her mother and smiled forcefully, "I'll go put her back to bed. I'll be down before you know it."

Elena nodded stiffly and kissed Claire's forehead as she watched him carry her up the stairs. There was tension covering the parlor and all she wanted was for the hardwood floor to open up and swallow her whole. This wasn't how Kol was supposed to find out about Claire. Hell, he wasn't supposed to find out about her at all!

Kol shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up at her questioningly, "Who's the father?" It killed him to ask, but he had to know.

"Nik," she answered quietly, looking away.

He snorted, "All this time, I've had a niece and no one thought it would be important to let me know? Was it just me that was left out or is my family in the dark as well?"

"Everyone knows except your parents," she muttered, tugging at the hem of her shirt, "You know that they never really cared for Nik. He didn't think they should know-"

"But I couldn't know?" He cut her off, his eyes turning even darker, "She's part of my family. Fuck, Elena, _you_ were part of my family! I had a right to know that you were carrying my _brother's_ child, let alone that you were even pregnant at all!"

"It wasn't any of your business-"

"The hell it wasn't!" He roared, taking a step towards her, "How long were you with him, hm? You left me for him. Did he even wait to get into your pants until after my scent was washed off your skin?"

"Kol!" Damon barked, announcing his presence, "Don't talk about what you don't know. This is _my_ house and I won't have you disrespecting my guests."

Kol turned to him and an incredulous laugh left his throat, "You knew, too, didn't you? You knew that she was knocked up with the _bastard's_ kid? Poor thing, having _him_ as a father."

She took three long strides forward before her hand collided with his cheek in a reverberating smack. Her eyes were wide in anger, tears threatening to spill as she spoke, "Don't you _dare_ talk about my daughter like that. And don't you dare say anything bad against Nik. He took care of us when we had no one. He stepped up! You can shut your damn mouth if you can't fucking say anything worthy of being said. It's not a goddamned pissing match between the two of you."

Kol raised his hand to his cheek and rubbed it numbly. He had been on the receiving end of her anger on multiple occasions, but this time was different. Her big doe eyes that once showed such innocence and love were clouded with anger and…fear? Why was she afraid of him of all people?

"Elena, I-"

"Save it," she cut him off harshly, trying to still her shaking hands, "I don't have to explain myself to _you_. I came here for my family; not anyone else. I don't need you judging my choices. And if you ever, _ever_ , say anything bad about my daughter again, I promise you that it will be that last thing you ever do."

Damon and Kol watched as she turned on her heel and tore up the steps, the tension in the room dissipating slightly.

Kol turned towards the raven-haired man, a meek look on his face, "I messed up, didn't I?"

"Figure that out on your own, did you?" Damon scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest in disapproval, "You haven't seen her in _six years_ , yet the first time you do, you insult her family, her life, and her _child_. I really thought you were smarter than that."

"Damon, I-"

"Just get out, Kol," Damon sighed in exhaustion, "Otherwise I have half a mind to pummel you myself."

* * *

"Are you all right?" Klaus asked, listening to Elena breathe as they lay in bed together, "I know you didn't want to see him and to have Claire thrown in the mix…"

It was true. Everything that possibly could have went wrong that night, had indeed. After storming up the stairs, she stopped in her room and changed into her pajamas before taking up residence in Klaus' bed. She needed the reassurance, the comfort, desperately after what happened.

"I don't know," she shrugged, rolling onto her back and staring up at the ceiling, "I just feel like I failed somehow. I've tried so hard to keep Claire from him and now he knows she exists. How long will it be before he puts the pieces together? The way he looked when I told him how old she was…it was like he was trying to do math in his head. He thinks I was cheating on him with you, I just know it."

Klaus sighed and wrapped his arms around her, curling her against his chest, "We'll get through this. Anyway that we can, we will. I don't want you to worry about Kol, I just want you to have a good time while you're here."

"I just want to forget I ever seen him tonight," she whispered.

He smiled, "I can help with that."

Suddenly, Klaus was hovering over her and pressing small kisses to the exposed skin of her chest. Normally, she would gladly take the distraction, but right now it felt…wrong.

"Nik…I'm not in the mood tonight," she whispered, placing her small hands against his chest and pushing him away slightly, "It wouldn't be fair to you."

He sighed, but instantly moved off of her, placing his hand on her flat stomach instead, "I know that when we started this, we agreed that it would simply be of mutual use for both of us. Nothing more."

"Nik-"

"Let me take care of you, sweetheart. I'm not asking for anything in return," he said softly, dipping his hand below the waistband of her sleep shorts and into her lace panties.

Elena tried to form a coherent response, but as soon as she opened her mouth, his index finger circled her clit. He buried his face against her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of her as her hips bucked softly against his hand.

He lived for moments like these; moments when he was as close to her as he could get. He loved the sounds she made whenever he pleasured her and he would never tire of them. Klaus knew that she didn't belong to him, that he simply had her on borrowed time, but he had vowed long ago to make the most of every second he spent with her.

Without missing a beat, he sunk two fingers deep inside her tight sheath as his thumb continued rubbing her clit. Thrusting in and out, her breathing hitched and her little whimpers became more frequent.

"Come on, love," he cooed, working his fingers faster as her body tightened, "I've got you."

Elena came with a muffled cry, her feminine fluid gushing against his hand. Her body fell limply back onto the bed and a sated smile curled onto her full lips.

"Wow," she breathed out, trying to soothe her erratic pulse, "You didn't have to do that."

He chuckled against her neck, "I'd do anything for you, sweetheart. You know that." Ducking his head, he placed soft kisses against her abdomen before returning to her lips.

She softly kissed him back, too exhausted to do much more.

Klaus soothed the hair away from her face and pulled her back tight against his chest, "Go to sleep, love. I'll wake you in the morning."

She was about to respond, but her eyes grew heavy and darkness enveloped her.

* * *

"Do you have your mittens? And your scarf?" Damon asked, looking down at the little girl in front of him.

Claire's head bobbed as she nodded, "Yes, Uncle Damon. I got everything you said!"

He nodded with a smile and buttoned up the top button of her parka, "Now all we have to do is wait for your mom and we'll go to the park."

"And play in the snow?" She asked excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"And play in the snow," he repeated, picking the girl up and cradling her in his arms.

Elena bounded down the stairs, pulling on her own jacket and buttoning it. Her chocolate hair was wild around her face and her cheeks were flushed as she said breathlessly, "Sorry. I couldn't find my phone-"

"It's fine," Damon said, waving off her apologies, "Claire just got finished getting ready anyway."

She smiled and walked over to the pair, kissing Claire on the forehead, "Do you have your mittens? And your-"

"She's got everything she needs, mama bear," he laughed, "I already double checked."

She sighed in relief and grabbed her purse as Damon ushered her out the door and into the car.

* * *

Klaus sat in the parlor of the Mikaelson home, his foot tapping against the hardwood floor incessantly. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to be anywhere near his 'family'.

"Waiting for our lovely parents?" Kol asked as he walked into the room, taking a seat across from his brother, "They might be awhile. Mother's still trying to organize her New Year's party and Father is…probably drinking somewhere or terrorizing small children."

Klaus bit back his scathing remark in favor of something more tactful, "I was assured that Mother would be done soon, that's the only reason I'm waiting."

The younger man nodded, allowing the pair to drift into uncomfortable silence. Thoughts from the night before were still swirling around Kol's mind and questions were bubbling to the surface. Quirking his lips, he asked, "So, how long have you and…Elena been together?"

"Long enough," Klaus sighed, pursing his lips, "It's truly none of your business."

Kol snorted, "It _is_ my business when her daughter is my niece. You were obviously screwing her when we were still together. Who's idea was it to run away together? You two had excellent timing…right before my first tour started."

"Please, just shut your mouth, Kol," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation, "Elena didn't cheat on you-"

"So, you seduced her?"

Klaus growled, "I didn't do a bloody thing to her!" He took a calming breath and sighed, "Look, we'll be leaving soon. We're only staying until a week after the New Year. Then we can all go back to our normal lives; you can forget that she ever existed."

"I never forgot about her," Kol said softly, his eyes dropping to the floor, "She simply forgot about me."

* * *

"Claire, be careful!" Elena called to her daughter that was climbing up the slide at the park.

She smiled and leaned back against the bench, resting her head against Damon's shoulder. Claire had thoroughly enjoyed playing in the snow and now they were letting her burn off her excess energy before taking her back to the Boarding House.

Her mind kept drifting back to the night before and her conversation with Kol. She had never wanted anything more in that moment than to tell him that Claire was his. The way his eyes had shown how betrayed and hurt he had been was nearly enough to bring her to her knees.

She didn't want to hurt Klaus, but she knew that Kol would find out eventually. Claire had good father figures in both Klaus and Damon, but nothing could truly replace her real father.

"I can hear you thinking from here," Damon said softly, grabbing her chin and turning her to face him, "What're you thinking about, kitten?"

She sighed, looking into his icy blue depths, "Should I tell Kol about Claire?"

He fidgeted slightly, pursing his lips in concentration, "I think that's something that you need to decide for yourself. He's…matured in the past few years, I'll give him that, but that's another thing all together. I don't know if he's ready for the responsibility of being a father, but there's a difference between knowing about Claire and allowing him into her life. He should prove to you that he can handle it."

She smiled and kissed his cheek softly, "How did you get so smart?"

"Lots and lots of practice," he smiled back, "Besides, I'm practically a father anyway."

"You'd be a good dad, Damon. If you wanted to-"

He shook his head, cutting her off, "Kids aren't in the cards for me, especially not with Andie. I mean, can you imagine her as a _mom_? She'd probably put wine in the baby bottle just so she could sleep longer. I'd be doing both of us a favor."

Her retort was cut off by a loud screech of her name. Turning, she saw a bundle of blonde hair running towards her and enveloping her into a bone-crushing hug.

"Elena! I heard you were in town, but my parents have been keeping us _so_ busy!" Rebekah prattled, pulling away and observing her at arms length, "Finn told me that he and Sage were able to see Claire the day after Christmas. I'm sorry that Elijah and I couldn't be there."

The brunette smiled, "It's not a big deal, really. You can stop by the Boarding House whenever you want though. Nik, Claire, and I are staying there while we're here."

"And she's throwing a bit of a party for New Years Eve," Damon cut in with a smile, "You know, if you're not too busy helping plan your parents' party."

Rebekah scoffed, "How could I turn down a family reunion? Elijah's invited, too, of course?"

"Yeah, of course!" Elena said, smiling, "I know Katherine is leaving today to get back to New York, but Elijah's always welcome. I just haven't seen him since we got here."

The blonde nodded in understanding before looking down at her phone, "Shoot, is that the time? I'd stay and say hello to Claire, but my mother's expecting me. I'll be sure to pass along the invite to Elijah."

The girls hugged again as Rebekah rushed to her car, her hair billowing behind her.

"I forgot how business-like she is," Damon said as Rebekah drove away.

Elena shrugged, "It's a Mikaelson trait."

"One Kol didn't inherit."

* * *

 **Be sure to leave a review!**

 **~Grace**


	5. Chapter 5

**On the shorter side, but still an important chapter!**

 **I hardly got any reviews for the last chapter...are people still interested? :(**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

"Thank you for watching Claire tonight," Elena said, handing Bonnie Claire's overnight bag, "I thought it would be a good idea if Nik and I went out with Andie and Damon tonight. I've been sensing a little animosity between her and I…"

It was true. Since Elena had arrived, Andie spent less and less time at home and with Damon in general.

Before they left the park that afternoon, she had convinced Damon that Andie might feel more comfortable with her if she knew that she wasn't a threat to her and Damon's relationship. He reluctantly agreed, muttering about how World War III was about to go down.

"It's no trouble, really," Bonnie said, hiking the bag over her shoulder, "Me and Jeremy adore Claire. Besides, it'll give us practice for whenever we decide to have our own."

The brunette laughed, "It doesn't count when the kids are already half grown and can tell you exactly what they want."

"Hush, it still counts," Bonnie laughed, looking over at Jeremy as he played dolls with his niece, "He loves kids, I think he just wants us to get a little more settled first.

Elena smiled, "Kids are wonderful, but it's nice to have time with your partner before they sneak up on you. Just enjoy each other while you can."

* * *

Dinner was silent to say the least. From the moment they all sat down with their drinks, Andie tried to look anywhere but the brunette seated across from her. Damon had recommended a nice restaurant outside of town and, while the drive had been fine with each couple being in separate cars, being here was different.

Klaus gritted his teeth before putting on a fake smile, "So, Damon, how's business been? Any new clients?"

"We've signed a few new artists that seem pretty promising," the raven haired man nodded, grateful for small talk, "All they need is a few interviews after they finish in the studios and hopefully they'll go right to the top. But that's where Andie comes in, she a whizz at stuff like that."

Andie swallowed the rest of her martini in a single gulp, still shooting daggers at Elena as she asked, "How's everything with Kol? I know it's been awhile since you've been back in town. Why did you leave, again?"

Elena fidgeted, "Better business opportunities elsewhere."

"I see," the blonde said, giving Klaus a pointed look, "You were just so young to leave all on _your own_. Seventeen is a hard age."

"Elena had a great support system," Damon said, sticking up for her, "She had a hard time for the first few months after she left, but she turned it around. She's strong."

She was grateful that Damon had left out how he found her pregnant and alone in a halfway house in Georgia. She was on the brink of starvation and giving up, but she wouldn't give up her baby.

Andie gave her fiancé a fake smile, "It's always so good to hear about how you helped her. You did much more than what a normal _best friend_ would do."

Elena had had enough. She steeled her voice as she asked, "Is there something that you're trying to say, Andie? I honestly haven't done anything to you, so why do you feel the need to be so nasty with me?"

"You've got all the men in this town wrapped around your little finger," Andie spat, practically forgetting the men at the table, "The Mikaelson men practically fall over each other for an opportunity to breathe the same air as you and Damon? Damon worships the ground you walk on. He would do anything to be in your life even if that means being a pseudo-father for the illegitimate child you have."

The brunette's eyes widened in shock, "Andie, you have no idea what you're talking about. Damon's in Claire's life because he _wants_ to be. I never guilted him into doing that."

"No," she agreed, "But you rejected him enough times. God, all he wanted was to be in your life, don't you think he'd take up the position of being a father to your child? Her real father must've ran for the hills as soon as he realized he knocked you up."

"I think it's time for you to leave," Damon said softly, but firmly. He had had enough of his so-called fiancée yelling at his best friend. Andie had absolutely nothing to worry about, yet her insecurities were now laid bare.

"Fine," Andie hissed, standing up from her chair noisily and stomping out of the restaurant.

"That could've went better," Klaus sighed, wrapping his arm around Elena's shoulders. He gave Damon a pointed look, "I can't believe you're _marrying_ her."

Damon shrugged, looking defeated, "Sometimes I don't even know why. She was fine with me being in Claire's life before I proposed, but now it's like she thinks I'm actually Claire's father."

Elena snorted, "Sadly, that's Kol. Claire would've been better off with one of you as her actual father, but we can't change the past."

Klaus smiled at her comfortingly and kissed her temple, "Everything happened how it was supposed to, sweetheart. Claire's got a whole army of people who care about her and that will never change."

"I know," she smiled back, "She's lucky, _we're_ lucky."

"Kol's a deadbeat father, but Damon and I will always be there to make up for it."

A small gasp sounded behind their booth and Andie emerged, tears soaking her face. She stuttered slightly, "I-I just forgot my purse."

Elena's eyes widened as Damon handed her the purse roughly and she left once again. Turning to Klaus, she asked fearfully, "She didn't hear any of that, did she?"

"I hope not."

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Damon asked angrily as he walked into his bedroom, finding Andie sitting on their bed, "Would it have killed you to be tolerable to Elena for one goddamn night?"

"One night?" Andie laughed, turning and looking at him, "You allowed her and her bratty kid to stay here for their entire vacation! I can deal with Nik, but that child has been a terror! Have you seen how many fingerprints she's leaving on all the antiques?"

"She's a kid, Andie! That's what kids do!"

"No! It's what _her_ kid does!" The blonde hissed, "And you'll take anything laying down when it comes to Elena _fucking_ Gilbert. You don't care if her kid tears through _our_ house and destroys it."

Damon laughed at how absurd she was being, "Destroying our house? Really? Claire stays in her bedroom or the parlor unless Elena or Nik is with her. She doesn't touch things unless she asks and she certainly doesn't break anything."

"Not yet," she grudgingly said, "But how long until she does? This house is filled with priceless antiques and-"

"Why should you care?" He cut her off, "It's _my_ house, _my_ heirlooms, _my_ antiques. If she breaks something, then it breaks. They're replaceable, Claire isn't!"

Andie snorted, "This is all because she's Elena's kid, isn't it? It's as close as you're going to get to her, huh?"

"This isn't about Elena!"

"If you love kids so much, then why don't we have one?"

"Because you're not her!" Damon roared, his eyes widening in anger, "You're not Elena! I got a fucking vasectomy before I left for college because I knew that I would never have a chance with her and she was the only one I could see having kids with."

Andie stood there, her mouth gaping open as her mind slowly absorbed the information. When she spoke, her mouth had a hard time connecting words, "So, you…you don't want…"

"No," he said coldly, "I don't want kids and I certainly don't want them with you."

She grabbed her coat and was out of the room before Damon could even calm down. He couldn't bring himself to feel bad for his words, but he was finally happy that she knew the truth.

* * *

"Auntie Bonnie!" Claire yelled, sitting cross-legged in front of the TV next to Jeremy, "Uncle Jeremy won't let me watch _The Princess and the Frog_!"

"It's almost over," Jeremy groaned.

Bonnie walked in and tsk'd her boyfriend, "If it's almost over, then you won't mind watching the end of it."

He sighed and flicked the TV back to the station and looked at his niece, "You're going to have to explain what's going on."

Claire stared intently at the TV and smiled as she babbled, "The evil man is trying to trick Tiana into giving him the necklace by showing her what she wants. Her and her daddy always wanted to run a restaurant and he's promising that if she gives it to him."

Jeremy nodded, noticing when Claire got quiet as the movie showed the sequence with the princess' father. His brows furrowed as he looked over at her. "What's wrong, Clairy?"

She turned to him, her eyes glassy as she asked, "Uncle Jeremy, do I have a daddy?"

His heart nearly broke as he pulled her into his lap, "Of course you have a daddy, Claire. He just can't be with you right now."

"Is he dead like Tiana's daddy?"

Jeremy shook his head, his eyes meeting Bonnie's across the room, "No, he's not dead."

Claire's bottom lip quivered, "Then why did he leave me? Doesn't he love me?"

"Of course he loves you, baby," Bonnie cut in, kneeling next to her, "Sometimes, parents can't always be around their children. But that doesn't mean that he loves you any less. One day, you'll meet your daddy."

Claire nodded before Jeremy carried her upstairs to bed as Bonnie remained in the living room. She knew that Elena would have to come clean eventually, but she never knew that Claire would be so receptive to what's going on around her. The girl had noticed that her family wasn't quite like everyone else's and that broke her heart.

Bonnie jumped as Jeremy's hand was suddenly on her shoulder. She looked up at him and gave him a weary smile, "Is she asleep?"

"She's getting there," he nodded, sitting down next to her on the couch, "She was just upset."

"Understandable," she said softly, leaning against him, "Elena has to tell her. It's not fair to her."

"And it would be better for a five-year-old to have a dad in her life that doesn't care?" He countered, "Kol is immature. How the hell would he react if he finds out he has a kid he knew nothing about? Elena had her reasons for running and I don't want to question her."

* * *

Andie's heels clicked against the driveway of the Mikaelson's house. Her rage had been replaced by a need for revenge. After overhearing a particularly juicy tidbit about Claire's paternity, she knew that she could ruin Elena after what she put Damon through.

She raised her hand and knocked against the door, a smile playing across her lips.

"It's a little late, isn't it?" Kol asked as the door swung open.

Andie shrugged, "What if I told you that I know something that you don't?"

"And why would I care?"

She giggled maliciously, "What if I told you that it was about Elena Gilbert?"

Kol instantly perked up, his eyes widening, "I'm listening."

"That little girl she's so proud of, you know, the one with dark hair and dark eyes? Damon told me that Nik's not her father."

"Then who is?" He asked, his heart drumming against his ribcage.

"You are."

* * *

 **Be sure to leave a review!**

 **~Grace**


	6. Chapter 6

**Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

"Stefan! It's so good to see you!" Elena gushed, wrapping her arms around him, "I thought you weren't supposed to be back until after New Years?"

Stefan smiled and dropped his and Caroline's suitcase near the door, hugging her back, "Care's dad had a case come up in Chicago and Liz decided to go with him, so she sent us home. She didn't want us being alone for the holidays."

She pulled back and smiled at him, "Well, I'm glad you're home. I haven't seen you since I left. Where's Car-"

"Elena!" A rush of blonde hair practically picked her up and swung her around, before she pulled back and inspected her at arms length, "I haven't seen you in so long! Skype and Facebook only go so far, but you're here! In person!"

The brunette smiled, "It's good to see you, too, Caroline. How was Christmas with your parents?"

Caroline tugged her along to the parlor as she talked, "It was great! Until my dad decided he wanted to take Stefan hunting the day after. I mean, I know he doesn't like him that much, but he should really try not to shoot him!"

"Your dad almost _shot_ him?"

"He said it was an accident," the blonde huffed, taking a seat and dragging Elena down next to her, "But how do you _accidently_ shoot someone from fifteen feet away? I even made sure he was dressed in lots of reflective gear!"

"I looked like a damn glow stick," Stefan mumbled, taking a seat in the armchair across from the couch before giving his girlfriend a pointed look, "Your dad's never liked me. I think I'll avoid being alone with him in the woods."

"God, I'm starving!" Caroline exclaimed, ignoring his words, "We should grab breakfast."

"Caroline, it's almost one," Stefan pointed out, "Why don't we go to the Grill and have a late lunch? We could invite Damon and Nik-"

"Oh, no. I've been around enough testosterone to last me for awhile."

Elena's brows furrowed at the mention of the elder Salvatore. Normally, he was the first one up, but she had yet to see him today. Standing up, she smiled at the couple, "Why don't you two go outside and say hi to Nik and Claire. I'm going to see what Damon and Andie are up to today."

"Claire's here?" Stefan asked, perking up slightly.

"Of course not, Stefan. She left her five-year-old daughter in New Orleans by herself," the blonde said sarcastically.

Elena giggled, "Just go say hi, we picked her up from Jer and Bon's earlier this morning and she's been asking all about her Auntie Care. I'll be down in a few minutes."

She watched as the pair walked outside and she hurried upstairs, concern flooding her. Stopping outside Damon's door, she knocked hesitantly and heard nothing from inside. Gingerly, she opened the door and walked into the room, seeing a tuft of messy black hair peeking out from under the sheets.

Sighing, she walked over to him and pulled the sheet back, tapping his cheek gently, "Damon? Are you okay?"

His crystal blue eyes fluttered open and locked with hers. His voice was thick with sleep as he spoke, "Mornin', 'Lena."

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she laughed, stroking his cheek softly, "Are you ready to join the land of the living? Stefan and Caroline got here about a half hour ago."

Damon's eyebrows furrowed, "Wait, what time is it?"

"A little after one."

He sat up slowly, scratching his head in confusion as he mumbled, "I never sleep that late…I must've slept through my alarm."

Deciding to acknowledge the elephant in the room, she asked, "Where's Andie? I thought she came back here last night."

"She did," he nodded with a groan, "We had a fight and she stormed out. I don't know where she went."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He ran a hand over his face and sighed, "It was about Claire-"

Elena blanched, "If I knew staying here was going to cause a rift between you two, we would've just booked a hotel-"

"No, Elena," he said, a tired smile pulling at his mouth, "You're family and so is Claire. Andie needs to get over her insecurities and realize that. You've been in my life a hell of a lot longer than she has."

"She's you're fiancée, Damon," she said softly, "You agreed to marry her."

"I told her about my vasectomy," he admitted, "I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to marry me now, not that I can blame her. I'm pretty sure I don't want to marry her either. We both want different things and I shouldn't have settled for the first girl to come along."

Elena searched his face, looking for any hint of a lie, but came up empty. She smiled and took his hand in hers, rubbing the back of it comfortingly, "If you're happy with this, then I'll be happy, too. I love you, Damon, and I want you to find everything you're looking for. But, for god sakes, next time be honest with a girl; if you don't want kids, that's something that should come up on the first three dates."

* * *

"Oh, thank God, coffee!" Caroline practically moaned as she held the mug up to her lips and took a deep sip, "I swear, my mom has absolutely no idea how to make coffee."

After dropping Claire off with her parents, Elena and Caroline stopped at a café for brunch. The boys had decided to go to the Grill and get in some day drinking before Claire was brought back to the Boarding House.

Elena laughed and took a bite of her bagel, "Didn't you buy her that really expensive coffee maker so all she really has to do is add water?"

"Yes! But it's still in a box in her closet," the blonde huffed, "I even offered to set it up for her, but she insists that me and Stefan are the only ones that drink coffee in the house."

"So, what did you want to do?" Elena giggled, "Get our nails done? Go to a movie? We have until around six to pick up Claire and I doubt the boys will get back to the Boarding House before then. You know how they are when they get together."

"Ugh, don't remind me. Stefan always misbehaves after spending time with them. I swear, it takes like a month to get him back to his normal self!"

"He's not a dog, Care. He's allowed to _misbehave_ occasionally. Besides, Damon seems to have grown up a lot since college. He's actually a responsible adult now," Elena smiled.

"Damon, Damon, Damon," Caroline chanted as she smirked, "You two would make the cutest couple I've ever seen. You guys just have so much chemistry, it's ridiculous! But, don't get me wrong, you and Kol were cute, too, though. I was surprised that you actually left him. He didn't speak to anyone for months; he just holed himself up in Salvatore Studios and didn't talk to anyone."

Pointedly ignoring her friend, Elena sipped at her orange juice, checking her phone and smiling when she noticed that Klaus had checked in with her.

"Ooh, is that Damon?" Caroline giggled, looking at her friend's phone.

The brunette huffed, "Why do you always assume that I'm talking to Damon? You know that Nik and I…well, you know I'm not seeing him."

"Next, you're going to try and convince me that Damon's not really Claire's father."

Elena bit her lip guiltily. She had never disclosed to Caroline who Claire's father truly was because she could never keep her mouth shut about important things. If Caroline knew that Kol was Claire's father, the whole town and probably Richmond would've known about it by now.

"Care, I told you-"

"Yeah, yeah, you told me it was just a one night stand," the blonde waved her hand in annoyance, "If that was true, you would've just stayed here! Kol wouldn't have known the difference. But you decided to leave, so it makes you look guilty! And you and Damon have been playing around each other since _high school_ ; it's only natural that you two would go at in eventually. And boom! You're pregnant with Claire."

Elena shook her head at Caroline's logic, "I'm not getting into this with you, Caroline. Damon's not Claire's father, okay? End of discussion. Now, let's go get our nails done."

* * *

"It's great to see you, Stef," Klaus said, clapping the younger man on the shoulder before handing him a beer, "I'm glad that you decided to grace us with your presence."

Damon laughed, motioning for a glass of Bourbon, "Yeah, it's a miracle. Barbie's got him wrapped around her little finger no matter what."

"Hardy har," Stefan mocked, taking a drink from the bottle, "Last time I checked, you were both more than whipped by a little brunette named _Elena_. And at least I'm actually dating Caroline!"

"Oh, shut it," Klaus mumbled, grabbing his glass of Scotch from the bar top and taking a drink, "No one asked you."

"Ah, isn't this a lovely gathering."

"Kol," Damon said stiffly, giving a nod over his shoulder, "We're kind of in the middle of something-"

"I invited him," Stefan piped up, standing and giving Kol a side hug, "It's great to see you, man. With your tour and the holidays, I didn't think we'd be able to grab a drink until February."

Kol shrugged in nonchalance, a smug smile coming across his face, "Well, I heard my brother would finally be home for the holidays. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to annoy him."

Klaus stared at Kol as he tried to catch his angle. It wasn't like Kol to be smug without a reason. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Why don't you have a seat, Kol? The more the merrier."

"Don't mind if I do," the youngest said, taking the seat offered next to his brother and motioning for a beer from the bartender, "Don't mind me, boys. Go back to whatever you were talking about."

The men talked for what seemed like hours before Stefan got serious. He twitched nervously as he said, "I'm thinking of asking Caroline to marry me."

Klaus smiled and congratulated him, "That's great! Marriage is a big step, though. Do you think Caroline's ready?"

Stefan shrugged, "We've been dating since high school. I think it's time to take it to the next step. And since Elena had Claire, she's been pestering me about children."

Kol's ears perked up, hanging on every word.

"Christ, can you imagine Caroline pregnant?" The eldest Mikaelson laughed, his tolerance barely handing by a thread, "I thought Elena was a bloody terror, but Caroline? She'll drive you insane."

"Elena wasn't that bad once you got past the mood swings," Damon pointed out, taking another drink of the amber liquid in his glass, "I mean, she was sick practically every morning. It was bound to make her cranky."

"Isn't morning sickness only supposed to last for the first few months?" Kol asked before he could stop himself.

Damon laughed drunkenly, "Typically, but everything about Elena's pregnancy wasn't typical. She was sick all the time and was in and out of the hospital. She almost lost Claire a few times, too."

"It was both a blessing and a curse when Claire came five weeks early," Klaus butted in, a relieved smile fluttering across his face, "I don't know what Elena would've done if she lost her."

"That little girl is a miracle given everything that Elena had to go through to have her," Damon whispered, looking at the glass in his hand longingly.

Kol was nearly sick to his stomach. If Andie was telling the truth about him being Claire's father, that meant that Elena went through everything without him by her side. The woman he loved had suffered and endured such pain to bring his child, his _daughter_ , into the world.

* * *

 **Be sure to leave a review!**

 **~Grace**


	7. Chapter 7

**Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

"Elijah!" Klaus called out as he opened the front door to the boarding house, "It's great to see you out of the office!"

Elijah smiled and readjusted the package he was holding, "It's great to finally _be_ out of the office. Kat and I have been exhausting ourselves lately."

"You could always move back to New Orleans," Klaus suggested, leading his brother inside, "I'm sure New York could manage without you."

"Katherine-"

"Yes, yes. Katherine this, Katherine that," the youngest man scoffed waving his hand in dismissal, "You two aren't even married and it's as if she has your balls in her purse."

"Nik, who's at the door?" Elena called from the kitchen before peeking her head around the corner and nearly squealing, "Elijah!"

Elijah shoved the package in Klaus' direction and swept Elena up in his arms, holding her tightly, "And there's my favorite almost-sister-in-law."

She clung to him, happy to see him before she pulled back, "Claire's in the parlor if you want to go say hello."

"Of course," he replied smoothly, pressing a kiss to her forehead and taking the package from Klaus' hands.

"I swear that he's still smitten with you," Klaus muttered as Elijah left them alone, "What is the problem with men in my family?"

Elena laughed and kissed him lightly on the lips, "If it weren't for your family, I would have never met you and isn't that what really matters?"

* * *

"Elena, thank you so much for having us over," Finn said as he and Sage walked through the door, "We've been excited about seeing Claire."

The brunette smiled and waved them inside, "She's been excited about seeing everyone. Being in New Orleans makes it difficult for her to see her family."

Sage smiled tightly, "Have you thought about moving back? Mystic Falls has wonderful schools, you know that. And she'd be closer to Finn and me along with Rebekah."

"Why don't you go see Claire?" Elena asked Finn, "Elijah's been in there spoiling her for almost an hour."

The eldest Mikaelson graciously took the hint and left to see his niece as Elena pulled Sage into the kitchen. Instead of answering the redhead's question, she busied herself with making sure everything was ready for dinner that night.

Moving back home to Mystic Falls had always been appealing to Elena, she just thought that she and Kol would work things out by then. She didn't want to force Claire into too many changes at once and learning whom her father was and moving away from the only home she'd ever known would be too much for the little girl.

"I take it that you didn't like my question?" Sage asked lightly, observing how Elena was methodically moving around the room, "I didn't mean to offend you; I was just asking."

Elena sighed, "I know. I just…I feel guilty for keeping her away from her family. But no one knew really knew about her."

"But now they do," Sage reminded her softly, "Even Esther knows that Claire exists. It's only a matter of time before it comes out."

"Before what comes out?" Rebekah asked, bounding into the kitchen holding a tray of cookies, "Don't tell me you're pregnant again, Elena. Not that I would mind being an aunt to another child, but Nik's child? I don't think even Nik could handle that!"

Elena rolled her eyes, "I'm not pregnant, Rebekah. Thank you for your concern. Nik and I aren't even trying for another kid."

"Finn and I have been trying for forever," Sage said sadly, her brows creasing, "I think we might end up adopting."

The brunette reached over and took Sage's hand, squeezing it reassuringly, "Everything will happen when it's supposed to. And if you guys do have to adopt, I'm sure that it will work out. You two are perfectly qualified to be parents."

"I just want to have a child that he looks at like how he looks at Claire," Sage admitted, a small smile tugging at her lips, "He simply adores her."

"My brother will love you no matter what," Rebekah said, taking a bite of the cookie in her hand, "Besides, he looks at _you_ like that. He adores you, Sage."

"I assume that everyone's present and accounted for," Klaus asked, walking into the kitchen and seeing Elena plating up all the food and Damon getting ready to take it into the dining room.

Damon nodded, keeping his eyes on the food, "Yup. Everyone who was invited showed up. So that's Barbie and Ken, Broody and Ginger, Witchy and Little Gilbert, Mr. Perpetual-stick-up-his-ass, Sexy Beks, and us."

Elena sighed, "I wish you wouldn't give everyone such demeaning nicknames. How would you like it if you had one?"

"Oh, sweetheart, he does," Klaus cut in with a smile.

"I'm the better, hotter Salvatore brother," Damon scoffed, "I could never have a demeaning nickname."

"Whatever," she waved her hand, "Just get the food out already. I'm sure everyone's hungry by now."

Damon and Klaus obediently began taking the plates of food and carrying them to the kitchen. She smirked at how they acted when they were scolded; they were like a couple of rambunctious kids.

Picking up the last bowl of vegetables, she made her way to the dining room and smiled at what she saw. Stefan and Caroline were in deep conversation, laughing every now and then. Finn and Sage were enamored with Claire and were asking her about her school and favorite studies. Rebekah and Damon seemed to be getting close as well and Elena could practically see the sparks flying from the way they looked at each other. Finally, her eyes landed on the man she was looking for. Klaus and Elijah were laughing and drinking, smiles plastered on both of their faces.

Even if Elena decided that she wanted to relocate to Mystic Falls, it wouldn't always be like this. Klaus would be stuck going back and forth to New Orleans, Elijah would be going back to New York, Finn and Sage were always traveling, and Rebekah was too busy living her life to stay tied down. Damon was her only constant, yet she didn't know where he stood with Andie.

"Sweetheart?" Klaus asked, looking at her worriedly, "Are you going to join us?"

The brunette blushed and obligingly took her seat between Damon and Klaus, across from Claire. She set the bowl of vegetables on the table and smiled, "All right, everyone, dig in!"

The dining room of the Boarding House was alight with laughter and clinks of glasses being raised. It felt as if they were truly a family and, in a way, they were. They had each come together to support the little girl that Kol and Elena had made. Claire was their glue, the one thing that kept them together no matter what.

And Elena was grateful for it.

* * *

"I'll be right back," Elena assured Klaus as she grabbed her car keys, "I honestly didn't think to pick any up when I was at the store yesterday."

Claire's sore throat had gotten worse in the past few days and Elena was worried. Her daughter was hardly ever sick at home, but Klaus had chalked it up to the climate change. Virginia was much colder than Louisiana after all.

"Why don't you let me go, love? It's been snowing all day and I don't want anything to happen to you," he urged her, his brows puckered together in worry.

She gave him a small laugh, "I think you're forgetting that I was raised here, too. I know how to drive in snow. I'll be fine."

"Fine," he sighed, relenting to her stubborn nature, "Just hurry back to me, all right? I have a certain way I want to _ring in_ the New Year."

Elena smiled and got on her tiptoes, pressing a promising kiss to his lips, "You're dirty. I'll be back before you even have time to miss me."

Klaus bid her goodbye and watched her pull out of the driveway and onto the main road. He couldn't help a sense of uneasiness that rolled over him as he watched her leave.

"Everything okay?" Elijah asked, clapping his hand on his brother's shoulder.

He nodded, "Everything's fine. I just wish she would've let me go. She shouldn't be out when the storm is like this."

"She'll be fine, Nik," Rebekah interrupted, handing the little girl on her lap a doll, "Besides, now we all get Claire to ourselves!"

The little girl looked up at her aunt with wide doe eyes, "Does that mean I can have cake?"

"Do you want cake?" The blonde asked.

"Yes!"

"Then cake it is!"

* * *

Kol awoke and looked over at the short blonde hair of his bedmate. Rolling his eyes, he got up and pulled on a pair of jeans followed by a t-shirt. He needed to get to Elena. He hadn't seen her since he was told that he was Claire's father. He wanted to confront her and see if it was true. He sighed, walking back over to the bed, he shook the occupant slightly.

"Andie, get up," he said roughly, looking down at her with disgust, "It's time to go."

Her brown eyes opened and she smiled, "Well, good morning to you, too. What time is it?"

"Time for you to leave," he bit out, picking up her slinky dress from the floor and handing it to her, "It's almost ten and I've got places to be."

The blonde swallowed her pride and sat up slowly, pulling the dress over her head, "You realize it's New Year's Eve, right? Where could you possibly have to go so late?"

"First, I need to go to the store and pick up some bloody aspirin," he sighed, rubbing his temples, "Being around you always goes hand in hand with being drunk and I'm honestly surprised that I don't have alcohol poisoning."

"And reason two?" She asked, ignoring the barbs and standing up, "Where's my underwear?"

Kol huffed in exasperation, "I don't keep track of your undergarments-"

Suddenly, she closed the space between them and kissed him hard. As she pulled away, she whispered, "Then how about another round?"

The thought of seeing Elena had left him with a pretty noticeable bulge in his pants and he decided to indulge. He grabbed Andie by the hips and turned her away from him, bending her over the bed. He shoved the tight dress up over her hips and plucked a condom from the bedside table before unbuttoning his pants enough that his cock sprang free.

Sheathing himself with the latex, he unceremoniously shoved himself inside of the willing body in front of him. He clutched onto Andie's blonde hair pretending it was a deep shade of brown, pretending that her creamy skin was a beautiful olive color.

Ever since Elena left him, he had a problem being intimate with anyone else. He couldn't stand to look at anyone as he took what he wanted, knowing that her mahogany eyes would never be looking back at him. They were still teenagers when they were together; he had taken her innocence and been as gentle and loving as he possibly could have been.

 _"_ _Will it hurt?" Elena had asked as he positioned himself above her._

 _Her clothes had been discarded long ago and after Kol had pleased her with his mouth to ensure she was ready, he wanted to finally be inside of her._

 _He reached down and stroked the hair lovingly from her face, "It'll just hurt for a second, darling. I promise that I'll go slow. But, if it hurts too much, you have to tell me and I'll stop."_

 _"_ _Okay," she whispered, nodding slowly, "I trust you."_

 _Kol pulled back and urged her legs up to wrap around him. Taking his throbbing cock in hand, he rubbed it up and down her wet folds, lubricating it. A thought struck him as he began to reach over for something._

 _"_ _No condom," she said quietly, tightening her legs around him, "I don't want there to be anything between us. Ever."_

 _"_ _But a baby-"_

 _"_ _I'm on the pill," she cut him off, smiling, "Now, what're you waiting for?"_

 _Not one to disappoint, he laid his body on top of hers, supporting his weight on his forearms on either side of her head. His cock nudged her entrance and he pressed his lips to hers, "I love you, 'Lena."_

 _With one smooth thrust, he took away her virginity and caused her to cry out beneath him. He held still inside of her, allowing her to adjust to his large intrusion. Cupping her delicate olive cheek, he whispered sweet things to her as he body slowly relaxed._

 _She thrust her hips upwards against his as a vixen-like smile came across her face, "You can move now."_

 _Kol slowly pulled out of her before sinking back in. He wanted this moment to last forever. Being inside of the woman he loved was like heaven, like he was finally home._

Kol shook his head from the memory and thrust against Andie as hard as he could. He didn't care about her or her release, he was simply chasing his own along with the ghost of Elena.

Andie moaned beneath him, "Ugh, Kol, right there."

He ignored her and switched up his thrusting pattern before pulling out and emptying his seed into the condom. He had never given a single thought to using a condom when he was with Elena, she had never wanted to. But after she had left, he realized that not all women would be as forthcoming about being on the pill and after being signed by Salvatore Studios, women would lie about anything to be pregnant by him.

The blonde whined and looked over her shoulder, "Would it kill you to help me get off, too?"

Kol ripped off the used condom and threw it away in the wastebasket before tucking himself back into his jeans, "If you want to get off, maybe you should go back to that fiancé of yours. You crawled into _my_ bed. I have no obligation to make sure that you get pleasure, too."

She stood up and pulled her dress back down, glaring daggers at him, "You're a real prick, you know that?"

"And you're just a common fuck," he retorted, throwing her purse at her, "Now, get out. I'm sure you can pick up a guy somewhere else."

* * *

Elena arrived at the only store open in Mystic Falls on New Year's Eve. She trudged up and down the aisles, looking for the children's cough medicine with a sigh.

Sometimes she hated how stubborn she was, but she knew that Klaus wanted to spend some time with his family. She couldn't begrudge him that. Normally, she wouldn't have minded if he went to the store for her, but she needed to get out of the Boarding House for a little while.

She wanted to be back by midnight to celebrate the New Year, so she tried to hurry. Sighing when she couldn't find the medicine, she went in search of an employee and ran smack into someone.

She started to apologize as hands reached out to steady her, "Oh, I'm so sorry-"

Elena stopped when she looked up and met familiar brown eyes gazing into her own.

"Pleasure seeing you here, darling," Kol smiled softly, letting go of her reluctantly.

"Don't call me that," she huffed, turning on her heel and continuing her hunt. Of all the times to see him, she had to be alone. She groaned internally as her eyes found no one to help.

Kol hurried after her, not wanting to let this opportunity slip between his fingers. He heard her heels clicking against the cheap linoleum of the floor and found her in front of the shelf with children's medicine.

His brow furrowed as he walked beside her and asked, "What're you looking for?"

Swallowing her pride, she replied, "Cough medicine. But-"

He scanned the shelves and plucked a bottle of medicine before handing it to her, "Here you go. Is…Claire all right?"

"She has a bit of a cold," Elena said quietly, taking the bottle and looking at him sheepishly, "Thank you. I can't believe I didn't see it."

"You have other things on your mind," he shrugged with a smile, "Your mother instincts were in overdrive."

She gave a small laugh, "I guess so. Claire's hardly sick. I guess I just-"

"You were worried about her," Kol interjected, "I can't imagine going through what you did. Nik and Damon told me about what happened after she was born. I…I'm glad you had them by your side for that."

"I've been worried about her since the day I found out I was pregnant," she smiled, placing her hand on her flat stomach. Realizing that she was revealing too much, she shook away her thoughts and looked back at the man who was once her everything, "Thank you for finding the medicine. I should probably get going."

"Nik expecting you?" Kol asked lightly, trying not to let his jealousy show.

She shifted uncomfortably, "And Claire."

His eyes softened at that, "Of course. I'm sorry for keeping you. Just…be careful out there. The storm's getting worse."

"I will," she nodded slightly, he gaze averted. Her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest and she needed to get out of there.

Kol watched as she checked out and left. His heart still felt heavy, but he knew he couldn't confront her just yet. She was so different than the girl he grew up with, the fifteen-year-old he fell in love with.

Sighing, he grabbed a bottle of aspirin and hurried out into the night as well.

* * *

 **Be sure to leave a review!**

 **~Grace**


	8. Chapter 8

**Gah, I love and hate this chapter all at the same time. I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

"Nik, condom," Elena muttered breathlessly as soon as she felt the head of his cock nudging against her entrance.

He pulled back to look at her, confusion on his face as he asked, "Aren't you on the pill?"

"I forgot my prescription at home," she lied, "I'd rather be safe than sorry."

Klaus nodded and got up, rifling through his bag for the package of condoms. A sly look overcame his face as he pulled the foil packet out of the box, "You know, Claire will be six next year…have you given any more thought to having another child?"

"Nik…" she didn't know what to say. Claire had been a completely unexpected accident, but she didn't regret having her. Having another child would just complicate everything. She sighed, "I'm not ready to have another one. After all the problems I had with Claire-"

"You're right," he cut her off, instantly regretting asking, "I shouldn't have even brought it up. I know how strenuous your pregnancy was."

Elena muttered intelligibly before pulling him on top of her, willing to distract him for the moment with sex. Their sex life was satisfying, she had no complaints about that, but it wasn't nearly on the emotional level that she had been used to with Kol.

Kol always treated her like she was his equal, they experimented with whatever they wanted and learned together. With Klaus, it was strictly missionary unless she gained the upper hand during their tryst, which was very unlikely.

Even now, as he moaning above her, he couldn't help but see Kol instead of him. She could feel herself climbing higher and higher with every thrust and before she knew it, she was feeling wave after wave of pleasure rush over her.

"Fuck, sweetheart," Klaus grunted, burying his face against her neck as he came, "I love you."

Her heart always tightened painfully when he said that. She had said it back to him before, but normally only in the presence of her daughter. When she and Klaus were alone, those three simple words seemed to hold much more meaning that just saying them in public.

She heard his breathing even out and sighed. She wiggled out from beneath him as stealthy as she could, careful not to wake him. Pulling on an old t-shirt of Damon's and a pair of panties, she made her way into the hall, shutting the door quietly behind her.

"Sneaking out?"

Elena jumped and saw amused blue eyes staring back at her. She rolled her eyes and smiled, "I needed something to drink."

"There's a bathroom in your room-"

"No, Damon. A _real_ drink," she laughed, heading towards the stairs as he followed, "I feel like I've been stuck in perpetual-parent-mode and since Claire's sleeping, I might as well indulge."

Damon smirked and swept his arm towards the parlor, "Well, in that case, I would never deny a lady a drink."

* * *

"Oh! Do you remember when Stefan dared you to streak across campus if he made the winning touchdown?" Elena drunkenly giggled, sloshing the amber liquid in her glass, "I didn't think you'd actually do it!

Damon snorted, placing his empty glass on the table between them, "When has Damon Salvatore ever turned down a dare?"

"What time is it?" She asked, yawning a little.

"Just after five."

"In the morning?!" Her eyes widened as he nodded. That meant that they had been downstairs drinking for over four hours. She groaned, "God, Claire's going to be up soon."

"Don't worry about it," the raven-haired man smiled, "I haven't drank that much. I'll take her out or something today, okay? I know Nik has to go to his parents for a few hours, so that'll give you some time to sleep off our marathon."

She smiled and tried to stand up, falling back onto the couch in the process, "I haven't drank like this since before I had Claire. Tolerance is a funny thing."

"C'mon, drunky," Damon said, wrapping his arm around her waist and hauling her to her feet, "Let's get you to bed."

He practically carried her to the bedroom that she had used before Nik arrived. Tucking her in, he went to the bathroom and filled a glass with water and brought her two aspirins, setting them on her bedside table.

"Sleep well, kitten," he murmured, ducking his head and placing a kiss on her forehead before flitting out of the room as if he was never there.

* * *

"Uncle Damon, can I have pancakes, please?" Claire asked as she sat at the breakfast bar and watched Damon move around the kitchen with ease.

He smirked at the little girl, "Does your mother normally let you have pancakes?"

"Uh huh!" The girl nodded excitedly, "Especially chocolate chip ones!"

"Chocolate chip pancakes coming right up, Clarabella."

He couldn't help the smile that came across his face every time he looked at her. She was like a mini-Elena in every way and that made his heart swell with happiness. Sure, she possessed bits and pieces of Kol, but not enough to outshine Elena.

"Here you go, sweetheart," he smiled, placing the plate of pancakes in front of her, "What do you want to do today? Do you want to go to the movies? Or what about the park? Maybe go visit your Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Bonnie?"

Claire swallowed her mouthful of pancakes and giggled, "Where's my momma? She said that we could go to the aquarium!"

"Your momma's a little tired today, she's not feeling that good. But _I_ can take you to the aquarium if you want."

"We can go see Nemo?" She asked, her eyes lighting up as she shoveled another forkful of pancakes in her mouth, "Momma said there's clown fish at the aquarium."

"Nemo, huh?" He scratched his chin thoughtfully, "His dad was the not-funny clown fish, right?"

She nodded her head, "His name is Marlin. He thinks he's funny, but he's only funny at the end of the movie."

"Poor fish," Damon muttered, looking up just as Klaus was walking in, "Good to see you joined the land of the living."

He smiled and poured a cup of coffee, "Where's Elena? She wasn't in-er-she wasn't where I left her last night and she's not downstairs. Did she already head out?"

"Head out?"

"She said she was going to see her parents or something," he shrugged, bending down and giving Claire a kiss on the top of her head, "Good morning, my love."

"Uncle Nik! Uncle Damon's going to take me to the aquarium!"

"I thought your mother was taking you?" Klaus asked, creasing his brows.

Claire shook her head, "Momma needs to sleep today. She's not feeling good."

"I can take you-"

"It's fine," Damon said, cutting him off, "You have to go see your parents today. I already told Elena that I'd watch Claire. It's no trouble, really."

"I can take her with me," Klaus suggested, sipping his coffee.

Damon snorted, "And risk her and the sperm-donor being in the same room? Yeah, _hell_ no."

"You're right," the blond conceded, grabbing a bagel and his coat, "I'll be back a little later."

"Bye, Uncle Nik!" Claire sang, her smile bright as he kissed her cheek and left.

Damon noticed that she was thinking hard on something and smiled, "What are you thinking about, Clarabella?"

Her face scrunched up, "Uncle Damon, what's a sperm-donor?"

* * *

"Weren't you banned from all family functions?" Klaus growled as his younger brother walked into the ballroom of the Mikaelson mansion, "I specifically agreed to coming because I knew you'd be elsewhere."

Kol smirked and looked around the room, surprised that it was only him and his brother, "Well, how could I pass up a chance to annoy my big brother? Tell me, where are all the guests? Especially the _lovely_ Elena?"

Ignoring the younger man's latter question, he spoke briskly, "Our siblings and parents are attending to some sort of fiasco in the kitchen. I decided to wait in here to make sure to greet any guests who wander in early."

"And Elena?"

Klaus' jaw ticked, "She's at the Boarding House. She wasn't feeling good."

"So, you decided to leave her alone and not tend to her?" Kol tsk'd, shaking his head, "You're not a very good boyfriend are you? Well, when she's sick, she enjoys chicken noodle soup and Sprite-"

"I've been with her for almost six years, Kol," Klaus bit out, "I don't need you telling me what she does and doesn't like."

"And yet you couldn't even stay with her? I stayed with her when she was in the hospital with pneumonia! I never left her alone for a second when she was sick because I was too worried about her!"

"Shut up, Kol. You know nothing about her. What she hopes and-"

Kol snorted, "And _you_ do? You think you've seen her naked because she took her clothes off? Tell me about her dreams. Tell me what breaks her heart. What is she passionate about and what makes her cry? Tell me about her childhood. Wait, better yet, tell me one story about her that you're not in."

Klaus stumbled over his words, "Y-You have no idea what you're talking about-"

"You've seen her skin and you've touched her body. But you still know as much about her as a book you once found, but never got around to opening," Kol sneered, "I've been with her through everything in her life. I was her best friend until I fell in love with her when she was only fifteen years old! Where were you when she broke her leg climbing out the window of the Boarding House? Where were you when that loser Matt Donovan stood her up for Miss Mystic Falls?"

"None of this is relevant!" Klaus spat, clenching his fists, "I was a part of her life as much as you were-"

"Everything is relevant when it comes to her! When it comes to _Elena_ ," Kol's anger died off some as he took a calming breath, "I have loved her for longer than you've been _lusting_ after her. And I can bet that you were quick to take my place, weren't you? You stepped up and didn't give a second thought to playing daddy to _my_ daughter."

Klaus snapped, "You weren't good enough for Claire! She needed a father who wasn't always on the road! She needed stability just as Elena did. You weren't fit for the job and you sure as hell don't deserve the two most amazing girls in the world."

"So, it's true, then?" Kol asked quietly, "I'm Claire's father."

Klaus' mouth opened and closed a few times, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head as he realized what he had said, "N-no. You aren't-"

"Too late, brother."

* * *

 _"_ _Darling, it's time to get up."_

 _Elena's eyes cracked open and she immediately regretted it. Light flooded her already battered senses and she groaned, "Kol…I don't want to get up yet. Can't I sleep a little longer?"_

 _Kol tsk'd, "I told you not to drink so much last night. Besides, you've got to get over to the Lockwood's to help set up for the pageant. You're in charge since you won last year."_

 _"_ _Shit!" She flew out of bed and scrambled for her clothes, "How did I forget? My dress is at Caroline's and my shoes are at Bonnie's! Oh! And I need to pick up-"_

 _"_ _Darling, breathe," he laughed, standing in front of her and clasping her bra in the back before helping her pull her shirt over her head. Her cradled her face in his hands and kissed her nose softly, "I already picked up your dress and shoes. Not to mention, I swung by the Salvatores and picked up the jewelry you loaned to the exhibit last month. All you have to do is get dressed and I'll drive you, alright?"_

 _Her heart thumped wildly at having him that close to her. She leaned into his touch and smiled, "What would I ever do without you?"_

 _"_ _Die most likely," he shrugged, "Did I mention that I also made breakfast?"_

 _"_ _God, I love you," she moaned, pressing her lips softly against his._

 _His hands instantly went to her hips and pulled her lithe body flush against his. His hand splayed across her perky butt and he groaned as she brushed against his straining erection._

 _Ripping her lips away, she panted, "As much as I want to take this further, I don't think you woke me up in enough time to do_ that _."_

 _"_ _You're right," he sighed in exasperation, "But you're all mine tonight. Do you understand?"_

 _She giggled, "All yours, Kol. Always."_

* * *

Elena groaned at the memory as she groggily opened her eyes. It had been a long time since she had drank in general and her body wasn't very happy with her. She rolled over and blindly reached for her phone, a small smile flittering across her face as a picture of Damon and Claire popped up with that caption ' _finding the Nemo fish_ '.

It was just after four in the afternoon when she trudged out of the bed and wobbled to the shower, grateful to wash the night from her skin. The water was exactly what she needed to help her sober up.

When she was finished, she wrapped a towel around herself and went for the glass of water on the table beside her bed, noticing that there was aspirin waiting for her as well. Popping the pills in her mouth, she swallowed them down along with the entire glass of water.

As soon as Elena was dressed, she padded downstairs and picked up a roll before nibbling at it. She didn't want to eat too fast and risk her stomach deciding to mutiny.

A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts as she went to open it. Standing on the porch was the last person she wanted or expected to see.

"Elena…I know I didn't call or anything, but I had to see you."

"Kol, what're you doing here?" She asked in exasperation. Her heart was fluttering at the sight of him, but she pushed that feeling away. _Far_ away.

"I have to know," he said desperately, pain dripping from every faucet of his face, "I have to know why you left me six years ago without so much as a goodbye. It's been tearing me up inside and-"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking away from him, "I didn't want to, but it was for the best. You had just gotten signed and you were leaving to tour. I couldn't go with you-"

"So you just decided to leave me?" He cut her off, anger replacing his sadness, "You just decided to up and leave when I needed you the most?" He ran his hand through his hair, trying to calm down and not scare her, "I waited months to hear from you and you never called! You never did anything! God, Elena! The first time I see you in six years and I find out you're a mother and with my _brother_.

"Tell me you don't love him. Please. I don't care if it's a lie, I just need to hear it," he begged, searching her dark eyes, "I've been driving myself crazy trying to analyze everything that I could've did wrong."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Kol. You were perfect. It was me. I couldn't be what you needed."

He stepped forward and cradled her face in his hands, "I loved you, Elena. Fuck, I _still_ love you. No other woman has even come close to comparing to you."

"Six years is a long time," she said, looking down, "I have my life in New Orleans and Claire and-"

"I know she's mine," he whispered breathlessly, "I know Claire's my daughter."

Elena looked up at him in shock, tears rimming her eyes, "How?"

"Nik confirmed it, but Andie told me," he admitted, shaking away the disgusting thought of sleeping with her, "She was upset and she thought it would make me hate you, but it didn't."

She shrugged out of his reach and stared at him, "Why not? I'd hate me if I were you. I kept your _daughter_ from you, Kol. You have every right to hate me and I would understand."

"Goddammit, Elena, I love you!" He roared, stepping towards her once more and putting his hands on her supple hips, "I've loved you since I was seventeen years old and I'm not about to stop now.

Her hands went instinctively to his shoulders, not sure if she wanted to push him away or pull him closer. Her throat felt constricted and she swallowed harshly, "What do you want me to say? I can't fix what I did and I don't regret it. You weren't ready to be a father yet."

Kol stroked the hair from her olive cheek and murmured, "You didn't even give me a chance, baby. We could've raised her together, been a family _together_. And we still can be. It's not too late. I-I'll move to New Orleans and-"

"Your life is here," she said gently with a sad smile, "Mystic Falls is your home."

"It's yours, too. And it can be Claire's as well."

"Our lives are too complicated for this," she muttered, pulling away from him once more. Her heart was heavy as she looked at him sadly, "You just found me in the wrong universe, that's all. This is the darkest timeline. Everywhere else, every _when_ else – us in the Civil War, us in Ancient Egypt, us in the swinging '60's – we are happy. If this theory holds, well, by the law of averages, there has to be one universe – just _one_ – where we don't end up together. Here and now just happens to be it. If you think of it this way, nothing is out fault.

"Because you could have loved me forever. And maybe in another universe, I would've let you."

Kol shook his head, tears threatening to spill from his eyes, "Don't do this, 'Lena. Please. We can be what we were. I-I can be the man you want me to be; a father to Claire, a devoted husband. Anything you want, darling, and _you have it_."

"I need time, Kol," she whispered, wiping the tears from her face, "I need time to process everything. I…I never thought I'd really have to deal with this."

"Give me a chance, baby. I promise I won't screw up," he rumbled, "I _promise_. Just one chance, 'Lena, that's all I'm asking for."

She nodded absently, "Just give me some time. I…I'll call you in a couple days."

"I love you, 'Lena…" he whispered and then he was gone.

Elena's back hit the doorframe and she slid down, tears streaming down her face. Her worst fear had come to pass, but Kol wasn't even angry with her. She had been prepared for angst and rage, yet all he wanted was to be with her and raise _their_ daughter together.

* * *

She didn't know how long she sat there until Damon called to her from the driveway, "I hope you don't mind, but I dropped Claire off with your parents. I brought takeout-"

He stopped abruptly as he took in her disheveled appearance. Instantly, he was on his knees beside her, tilting her face up to look at him, "What happened, kitten?"

"He knows," she hiccupped between tears, "He knows he's Claire's father."

"Oh, baby," he sighed and pulled her into his arms. He cradled her against his chest, rubbing his fingers up and down her spine as she shook in his arms. He nuzzled his face against her hair as he asked softly, "Do you want to talk about it? I can call Nik-"

"Please don't," she whimpered, looking up with teary doe eyes, "I just…I can't be around him right now."

Damon nodded and stood with her in his arms, carrying her inside from the cold. He set her on the couch in the parlor, wrapping a thick blanket around her before ducking to kiss her forehead, "Everything's going to be fine, kitten. I promise."

"Don't leave. _Please_ ," she begged as he moved from the room.

"I'm just going to get the food I left in the car, okay?"

Elena nodded feebly and stared into the fire in front of her. How could she have fallen apart so easily? She had been prepared for every outcome when Kol found out, but his acceptance of the situation was not one she anticipated.

Arms were suddenly around her and she was being held once more. Her eyes closed as she sniffled, wanting nothing more than comfort.

"We'll get through this," Damon whispered, holding her tight against his chest, "You've got so many people that care about you and Claire; nothing will go wrong."

"He wasn't even angry," she said softly, fidgeting with the hem of the blanket, "He wants us to be a family. He _wants_ to be Claire's father."

He stiffened slightly, but forced himself to relax, "Isn't that a good thing? He's matured enough to come to terms with everything."

"What about Nik?"

Realization finally dawned on him as he figured out the real reason she was upset. He had suspected that she still loved Kol, but she felt that she'd be betraying Klaus if she acted on what she truly wanted.

"Do you want Kol to be a part of Claire's life?"

"Yes," she answered, "But-"

"There's no buts, babygirl, unless we're counting your own. Which is mighty fine, might I add," he paused as she giggled, a smile tugging at his own lips, "If you want to try to give it a go with Kol, then nothing should stand in your way. Not me, not you, not _Nik_. You're in charge of your happiness."

* * *

 **Be sure to leave a review!**

 **~Grace**


	9. Chapter 9

**Remember, reviews mean everything to me! This is my first time derailing from pretty much every conceived notion with TVD. I'm so nervous.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

"Sweetheart?" Klaus' voice drifted through the hard wood of the spare bedroom Elena was occupying.

She had been hiding out since Damon found her, not wanting to deal with her life as she felt it was crumbling apart. Damon had been sweet enough to pick Claire up from her parent's house the following morning and had been entertaining her all day while she dealt with the feelings that were threatening to consume her.

Klaus was literally the last person on her mind, yet here he was, knocking on her door and disturbing her brooding.

She sighed and got to her feet clumsily, making her way to the door and throwing it open. Her voice was harsh as she asked, "What?"

His blue eyes widened as he took in her bedraggled appearance. Her chocolate hair was tangled against her skull and dark circles marred her red-rimmed eyes. Her nose was still pink from all the tears she shed and the shirt of Damon's that she was wearing nearly swallowed her small frame.

Klaus gave her an apologetic look, "I didn't know any of this was going to happen-"

"Of course not," she hissed, anger replacing her sadness, "But you couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you? You gave into his taunting and told him exactly what he wanted to know."

"It was an accident, Elena," he said desperately, "He kept going and going and I slipped up, okay? I never intended for him to find out from me, I swear. It was an accident!"

She threw her hands into the air in exasperation, "Well, now he knows! And there's no going back from this. He wants to be a part of Claire's life. He wants to know his daughter."

Klaus paled at that, "He doesn't deserve to know her. She's done just fine without him."

"Kol is Claire's father, Nik. I can't keep her from him!" She yelled, pushing against his chest and causing him to stumble slightly, "Fuck, he wasn't even mad at me! I was prepared for him to yell at me and scream at me, but this? All he wants is me and Claire."

"I won't allow that," he said, his voice barely containing his rage, "Kol has no claim to either of you. I won't allow him to think that he can swoop in and play family while I've been the one taking care of _his_ daughter!"

"It's not your choice," she said softly, tears one again brimming her eyes, "Claire wants to know who her father is-"

"How can you even trust him to be around her?" He growled, "He doesn't deserve a family! He doesn't deserve the unconditional love of that little girl downstairs. I won't let him take either of you from me, I just won't!"

Klaus stopped as soon as he heard her gasp in fear. In his anger, he hadn't even noticed that he had raised his hand and caused her to cower in fear.

He balked, lowering his hand immediately and reaching out for her, "Elena, you know I would never-"

"Just…just don't touch me," she said, her voice quivering as she backed away from him.

He watched sadly as she pulled on a pair of pants and her converse before she grabbed her purse. His brows furrowed, "Where are you going?"

"I need to get out of here," she said sharply.

"You're going to him aren't you?"

She turned and shot him a look, "Yes. Believe it or not, but he _never_ raised his hand to me. Ever."

* * *

Damon was trying to keep Claire occupied as he heard Klaus and Elena yelling upstairs. Everything was telling him to go up there and try to separate them, but his priority was the little girl in front of him. He couldn't risk her hearing their argument.

As soon as he heard the bickering cease, he turned to Claire and asked, "Clarabella, do you mind if I check the weather real quick?"

"No, Uncle Damon. I have to go potty anyway," she announced, getting up and disappearing to one of the bathrooms on the ground floor.

He sighed and flipped the channel, observing the storm moving in. He had been sure to stock up on groceries just in case they were snowed in and it looked like that was becoming likely.

Damon heard someone practically running down the stairs and he turned his head, meeting Elena's panicked gaze. He was up in an instant, concern overwhelming him, "What happened? Are you okay?"

She shook her head, tears still cascading down her cheeks, "I have to go see him, Damon. Nik…he's freaking out. I've never been afraid of him, but he's acting like a different person."

"Did he hurt you?" He demanded, grabbing her shoulders and looking her over critically, "I swear, I'll kill him."

She shook her head, "Can you watch Claire, please? I…I don't want her around Nik right now and I have to go see Kol. I need to figure things out."

"Of course, kitten," he gave her a small smile, "Go take care of what you need to. Claire and I will have a movie night or something. Just be careful, okay? The storm's getting really bad."

"I'll pull over and call you if I need to," she promised, grabbing the keys for the rental car that Damon had procured for her and kissing his cheek, "I'll be back soon."

* * *

"Uncle Damon, where's my momma?" Claire asked as she looked up from the spaghetti he'd made for her.

Elena had been gone for a few hours and it was beginning to worry him. Klaus had left just after her, mumbling about going to the Grill. Damon was hoping that she was safe and not somewhere where she couldn't get a hold of him. Christ, she hadn't even thrown on a jacket before she left!

"Your momma had to go talk to someone," he answered easily.

"Will she be back for bedtime? She was supposed to read me the new story that Uncle Finn got for me!"

He faked a pout, "Am I not good enough to read to you, Clarabella?"

"Momma does the voices," she said, looking at him sternly, "You never do."

"What if I promise to do the voices?" He asked, smiling.

Claire pretended to think about for a minute before she clapped excitedly, "Okay! You can read me my story. But if you don't do the voices, then I get to have _two_ desserts!"

Damon laughed, but agreed nonetheless. The little girl in front of him meant absolutely everything to him. If she asked him for something, he had no choice but to get it.

Elena hadn't told Klaus the truth of why she left, but Damon knew. He knew why she decided to leave in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve by herself. Had she come to him for help, he would've done everything he could for her.

 _"_ _Is Elena Gilbert here?" Damon asked as the front door opened, revealing a woman who looked as if she had much better things to do._

 _She looked at him with interest, "And who's asking? You the reason why she's here?"_

 _He shook his head quickly, "No. She's my best friend. I had the call traced back to here and-"_

 _"_ _What's your name, son?"_

 _"_ _Damon. Damon Salvatore," he rushed out, trying to look behind her._

 _The woman sighed, "I know I shouldn't do this, but any girl who's running from you has got to be out of her mind. Come on in, son."_

 _Damon thanked her when she pointed him to a room in the back. He walked as fast as his legs could carry him and before he knew it he had thrown the door open and scanned inside the room, his eyes falling on the girl in the bed._

 _He was beside her before he could blink, kneeling on the hard floor and stroking the hair from her face. Her skin was paler than it had ever been, her bones practically begging to be freed from their fleshy prison. His eyes traveled down her body, stopping at the small bump that was her stomach. His breath hitched as he took in the implications of what that meant._

 _"_ _Damon?" She said weakly as her brown eyes fluttered open, "What're you doing here?"_

 _He smiled sadly, "You didn't give me a choice, kitten. When you called, you sounded so…sad. I had Sheriff Forbes trace the call and that led me here."_

 _Her eyes watered, "You shouldn't have come. I don't want you to see me like this."_

 _"_ _You're pregnant, baby," he deadpanned, his mouth quirking slightly, "I'm not letting you go through this alone. Is this why you left?"_

 _"_ _I couldn't tell him," she whispered, "Esther made me-"_

 _"_ _Shhh," he soothed her, pulling her into his arms and rubbing her back, "Let's get you out of here, okay? I'll make everything better."_

"Hey, Damon," Stefan said as he walked into the kitchen, pulling off his jacket, "You on babysitting duty?"

Damon nodded, looking around for his charge and noticing that she was back in the parlor playing with the dolls he had bought for her.

"Where's 'Lena?" The younger man asked, grabbing a plate and putting some left over spaghetti on it, "Or Nik? For that matter."

He shrugged, "Elena went to see Kol and Nik left a few hours ago. I think he went to the Grill."

Stefan appraised his brother with concern, "Did they have a fight?"

"Kind of," the raven-haired man shrugged, "Kol found out about Claire. Nik is being the possessive asshole he was in high school and Elena didn't like it. They're just blowing off steam. Where have you been?"

"Caroline's," Stefan answered with a mouthful of spaghetti.

"Want to join movie night? I think she chose Cinderella."

Stefan smiled, "Why not? I have to practice for future kids anyway."

* * *

"Another," Klaus demanded, turning his glassy gaze to the bartender.

The man shrugged, "Sorry, dude, you're cut off. You've been drinking nonstop for the past two hours."

"And it's your job to serve me," the blond slurred, fiddling with the empty glass in front of him.

"I think the man's right, brother," Kol said from behind him, waving the bartender away before sitting down on the empty stool next to him, "Why the alcohol? Elena turn you out?"

"What're you doing here?" Klaus groaned, "Don't you have everything you want now? You've got Elena, you've got Claire. What more is there?"

Kol's brows furrowed, "What are you talking about?"

"Speaking of which," the elder continued, ignoring his brother's words, "Why are you here, then? Shouldn't you be with our girl? Or did she decide not to choose you?"

Tired of his riddles, Kol turned Klaus to face him, staring into his eyes, "Where's Elena, Nik?"

"She went to go see you earlier," Klaus said, shoving Kol off as he muttered, "And _I'm_ supposed to be the drunk one."

Kol's mind sped up as he processed what the blond said. He had stayed in town last night because the roads were too bad to go to his family's estate. The main road was blocked anyway.

"I haven't been home. The roads were too bad," Kol said urgently, "When was the last time you saw her?"

Klaus' brows creased as he sobered slightly, "A few hours ago. She was so upset and she needed to talk to you."

"Dammit, Nik! And you didn't think to call and see if she was okay?"

Klaus got up and grabbed his keys before making his way to the door, Kol following close behind, "You're too drunk to drive. Give me the keys and I'll go. My car is at the hotel-"

"She's _my_ girl," Klaus growled, pushing Kol, "I'll make sure she's okay. Why don't you go back to fucking whatever floozy will have you?"

* * *

"Oh, come on!" Elena banged her hands against the steering wheel of the rental car. She was about halfway between town and Kol's house when she got a flat tire. Her cell wasn't picking up any service and she had been forced to stay in the car to keep warm because in her rush she had forgot a jacket.

The gas had finally run out and the coldness of the storm outside was slowly slipping into the car, causing her teeth to chatter. She only had one option left as she threw the door open and started walking closer to town. As soon as her phone beeped to let her know she had service, she dialed Damon.

 _Elena! Where are you? It's been-_

"I know," she shivered, cutting him off, "The stupid car got a flat tire and I didn't have any service. I forgot my jacket and I didn't want to walk back, but the car ran out of gas-"

 _Where are you? I'm on my way. Stefan will stay with Claire. Just stay in the car until I get there._

"I'm halfway between town and the service road. The normal road to Kol's was closed because of the storm. I thought the service road would be safe."

 _Kitten, get back to the car and try to stay warm, okay? I'll be there as quick as I can._

She thanked him and ended the call before walking back to the car. She could hardly see through the blizzard that was coming. Hugging her arms around her body, she tried to still her shivering enough to remember which way to go.

The cold was starting to get to her and she didn't remember how long she had been walking, but suddenly she could see headlights up ahead. She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that it was Damon.

But the car kept coming. It showed no sign of slowing down and she grew nervous. Damon knew how to drive quickly and safely in a storm, he wouldn't be this reckless.

She held her arms out and yelled, "Stop!"

The last thing she saw was the hood of the car as she hit it. Her body rolled over the hood and across the roof before falling to the ground on the other side. The cold snow melted as her blood dripped down, leaving her bruised and bleeding as the darkness took over and she closed her eyes.

* * *

 **Oops! Cliffy. What do you think? Be sure to leave a review!**

 **~Grace**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi, guys! I know I left you with a cliffy. Sorry!**

 **For those of you waiting for the next chapter of AMOLAD, I'm still working on it. So much happened in the mid-season finale that I want to make sure everything fits in my story. As it is, the finale might be split into two chapters.**

 **Enjoy this chapter, please!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

Damon's fingers tapped against the steering wheel of the Camaro relentlessly. In reality, it had only been about ten minutes since he left the Boarding House, but it felt like hours. Knowing Elena was alone out there in the cold was enough to set him on edge.

Turning onto the service road, he thought he saw tire tracks, but quickly brushed it away. The snow was coming down so steadily now and it had begun to stick hours ago; Elena's car tracks would be buried by now. Damon's heart picked up erratically when he saw something laying in the middle of the road. Praying it was an animal, he threw his car in park before getting out and jogging over.

What he saw would haunt him for the rest of his life. Elena was lying on her side, blood matted into her hair and bruises blooming across her cheek. Blood was soaking through his thin t-shirt she was wearing and her skin was pale with a blue tint to it.

"Fuck! Elena!" Damon collapsed next to her, flipping her onto her back and trying to assess her injuries. He ripped off his jacket and wrapped it around her, trying to warm her up.

He held his phone to his ear as he dialed 9-1-1, cursing when he found he didn't have service. He knew that he shouldn't move her, but he didn't have a choice. Picking her up as carefully as he could, he rushed her to the backseat of the Camaro, laying her inside gently. He turned on the heat full blast as he made a u-turn and drove as fast as he could to the hospital.

"Hold on, baby," he said, more for himself than the unconscious girl in the backseat, "We'll be there soon."

* * *

"Where is she? Have you heard anything?" Jeremy rattled off questions as he found Damon sitting with his head in his hands in the waiting room of the hospital, "I came as soon as Stefan called me. Him and Bonnie are staying with Claire for now."

Damon looked up and sighed, "She's in surgery. They wouldn't really tell me anything because I'm not family-"

" _Bullshit_ -"

"So, they only told me that she had internal bleeding and couldn't wait any longer," the raven-haired man finished, his eyes downcast, "If I would've just been a _little_ faster…"

Jeremy shook his head, putting his hand on Damon's shoulder, "It's not your fault. You couldn't have done anything differently; it's a miracle that you found her at all. Do they know what happened?"

"I called Sheriff Forbes," he said brokenly, "I told her where I found Elena and she was going to go check it out. She thinks it was a hit and run."

"Elena Gilbert?" A doctor called as she walked out of the operating room.

Damon was instantly on his feet, dragging Jeremy with him.

"I'm her brother," Jeremy said, regarding the doctor coolly.

She nodded, flipping a paper over her chart, "My name is Dr. Fell. I've been overseeing Miss Gilbert's surgery. When she was brought in she had multiple lacerations, contusions, and abrasions. She also had hypothermia and we've been working to regulate her body temperature."

"Then why did she need surgery? That sounds pretty basic," Jeremy asked nervously.

"She had a few fractured ribs as well," Dr. Fell stated, pursing her lips, "One of them punctured her lung and it collapsed. Blood was filling it and we had to move fast if she had any hope of coming out of this alive."

Damon's heart sank, "Is she going to be okay?"

"As of right now, yes. She's on track to making a full recovery as long as everything goes to plan-"

"Can we see her?" Jeremy interrupted her, his own hands shaking.

Dr. Fell nodded, "Of course, just don't be too loud. She needs all the rest she can get."

Jeremy and Damon followed the doctor to her room, stopping outside of it as they thanked her for what she'd done.

"Did you call your parents?" Damon asked quietly as they slipped into the room.

The younger man shook his head, "They left for Richmond this morning. I figured that she'd be okay and I didn't want them to get into an accident on their way home. My dad's heart can only take so much with the new pacemaker they put in."

Damon nodded and mumbled, "Understandable."

They both stared at the young woman occupying the hospital bed. She was hooked up to too many machines to count and her breathing looked shallow and painful. The dark marks on her olive skin had only intensified since Damon last seen her and the thought of someone doing this to such a delicate creature made his veins pulse with anger.

"She looks awful," Jeremy whispered, staring in shock at Elena.

"She was just hit by a car, you idiot," Damon hissed back, smacking the youngest Gilbert upside the head, "What did you expect? A Victoria's Secret model?"

Jeremy pursed his lips, "Shut up."

"Could you two _please_ not argue? I'm trying to sleep here," Elena's croaky voice came from the bed, a small smile pulling at her lips.

Forgetting the other man in the room, Damon rushed to her side and took her hand that wasn't covered in wires. He stared into her eyes and sighed in relief, "I thought I lost you."

She laughed before flinching at the pain in her throat, "It'd take a lot more than a car to get rid of me."

"Do you remember anything about the car?" Jeremy asked hesitantly, "Like a color or something?"

Her brow furrowed as she thought about it, "I thought it was Damon at first. But the driver was going too fast. I tried to tell him to stop…and that's the last thing I remember. I was just really cold and really disoriented."

"That was probably the hypothermia," Damon supplied, squeezing her hand lightly, "You're never allowed out of the house without proper weather clothes again."

She smiled weakly, squeezing his hand back, "Where's Claire? I really don't want her coming to the hospital."

"Stefan and Bonnie are staying with her."

Elena nodded, "What about…Nik?"

The raven-haired man shrugged, "I haven't seen him since he left after you did. I tried calling, but it went right over to voicemail. And I didn't think you wanted me calling Esther or Mikael-"

" _God_ no," she sighed, "I'm sure he's fine."

"Maybe you should try to get some more sleep," Damon suggested softly, seeing the toll that talking was taking on her, "You're supposed to be healing, okay, kitten?"

She smiled sleepily, "Sorry, guys. I just feel like I was hit by a car."

"Hardy-har, Miss Funny-Pants," he rolled his eyes, looking at Jeremy, "Go to sleep and we'll talk more when you wake up."

Not even a second later her eyes closed and her breathing seemed to even out. Damon sighed and kissed the back of her hand softly before letting it go. He looked up at Jeremy, "You should probably get home to Bonnie. I'm sure her and Stef want an update on Elena."

"Are you going to stay here?"

"I figured I would," Damon shrugged, "That way if Nik shows up I can try to keep him away from her. I don't think stress would be a good idea while she tries to heal."

Jeremy smiled, "Just kick his ass if you have to."

"Oh, I plan on it."

* * *

"Hey, man, what's up?" Stefan asked as he opened the door to the Boarding House.

Kol smiled, "I was actually wondering if Elena was home. Nik told me she wanted to talk to me earlier and I know it's late-"

"You haven't heard?" Stefan asked quietly before glancing at Bonnie and Claire behind him and slipping out the door, closing it behind him. He took a deep breath, "There was an accident earlier."

"What?" Kol was instantly alarmed, "What happened?"

"She was waiting on the service road, I guess she had some car trouble. Her phone wasn't getting any service so she walked towards town and told Damon to come and get her," Stefan shook his head sadly, "But when he got there, she was laying in the middle of the road. Someone hit her and just _left her there_."

Kol's mind couldn't cope with the guilt. She had been coming to see _him_ and ended up hurt in the process. He could hear a whooshing sound filling his ears as he focused on not having a panic attack.

"Kol? Are you okay?" Stefan asked worriedly, watching his friend have some sort of inner dilemma.

"I need to get to the hospital," he heard himself mutter before he spun from the house and practically hurtled down the driveway. Throwing his car in drive, he drove as quickly as the speed limits would allow as his mind went rampant.

He hadn't been there for Elena when she was pregnant with Claire. He hadn't been there every time she was scared or upset. He hadn't been there for her for _six years_. He couldn't fail her again, he just couldn't.

The tires of his car screeched loudly as he came to a halt in the parking lot. Rushing from the car, he hurried inside, walking swiftly to the nurse station.

"Elena Gilbert? I-I'm here to see Elena Gilbert," he panted, his heart beating erratically.

The nurse looked up at him, slightly bewildered before she checked over her charts, "She's in room 213, third floor."

He muttered his thanks and tore off towards the elevators, his feet tapping impatiently as he waited. Finally, he decided to take the stairs, taking two at a time until he reached the third floor.

Kol had never been this scared in his entire life. Knowing that the woman he loved was hurt was the worst thing he had ever experienced. When Elena was gone, it was easy to pretend that she was happy somewhere. That she was getting everything she ever wanted.

But since she had returned and he learned the truth about Claire, it was completely different.

Coming up on the room, he peered inside slowly, his eyes resting on Damon sitting in the corner, right next to her. He knocked gingerly, causing the raven-haired man's head to snap up. It would've been comical if the woman that held his heart wasn't currently lying lifeless in a hospital bed.

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked, trying to keep the ice out of his voice.

"Stefan told me," he said softly, walking slowly into the room with his eyes on Elena, "I…I had to know that she was okay."

Damon nodded, "The Doc sad that she'd make a full recovery. She went into surgery as soon as I got her here; one of her ribs punctured her lung."

"Is that the worst of it?" Kol asked, dreading the answer.

"For the most part."

The younger man swallowed harshly, "Stefan said that she was hit by a car. Do…Do the police have any leads?"

"Sheriff Forbes stopped by after Jeremy left. She said that because of the snow, it ruined any evidence they would've had," Damon growled slightly, "The bastard that did this better consider himself lucky. If I knew who it was, I would tear them limb from limb."

* * *

 **My reviews and view count has been low lately...You all still reading?**

 **Leave a review and let me know!**

 **~Grace**


	11. Chapter 11

**Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

"I'll give you some time alone with her," Damon said quietly, looking between the sleeping woman and Kol.

Kol nodded, "Thank you."

The raven-haired man cast one more lingering look at Elena before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

The brunet sighed as he took a seat next to her, pulling her tiny hand into both of his. He was reminded of when she was hospitalized with pneumonia in her junior year of high school. He had been so scared that he was going to lose her that he never left her side.

"We've got to stop meeting like this, darling," he said quietly, reaching out and brushing the mahogany hair from her face. He grimaced as he saw the deep gash on her forehead, her skin stitched together tightly. Elena had always been the most important woman in his life and knowing that she was hurt while on her way to see _him_ made his stomach sick.

Kol cupped her jaw, running his thumb across her lower lip as he smiled slightly, "You're still as beautiful as you've always been. I can't believe that I was lucky enough to create a life with you. That little girl at the Boarding House is the prettiest girl I've ever seen. She looks just like you did when you were that age."

"I think she looks like you," Elena said softly, opening her chocolate eyes and giving him a small smile, "She's mischievous like you, too."

He chuckled, bending down and placing a kiss against his forehead, "She's a Mikaelson, darling. Of course she's mischievous," he paused for a second before asking, "She _is_ a Mikaelson, isn't she?"

Elena nodded, "Of course she is. Your name is on her birth certificate, too."

"Not Nik's?"

"Not Nik's," she said softly, holding his hand tighter in hers, "I've missed you, you know."

"You know, Rebekah tried to tell me that Damon was the father," Kol mused, smiling, "I knew right then that she was lying. You'd never sleep with your best friend."

She snorted, "Why not? I used to sleep with my best friend all the time."

He looked down and sighed, "Elena…why did you leave? I did the math; I know you were pregnant when you left. You said I wasn't ready to be a father, but you never even gave me a chance."

"I don't think that's something that we should talk about right now," she said quietly, looking away from him, "I'll tell you. I just don't want to get into that right now."

"Fair enough," he conceded, "But at least tell me that you weren't screwing my brother behind my back."

Elena's eyes whipped back to his, "I _never_ slept with Nik when we were together. I didn't have any romantic feelings towards him. Or Elijah or Finn. It was always you."

"Speaking of my brother, where is he? I found him sulking at the Grill earlier and he told me that you came to see me."

Her brows creased slightly, "We…had a fight this morning. I haven't seen him since I left to see you and Damon said he left shortly after me."

"Oh," Kol said, his mind working overtime as he remembered the last conversation he had with his brother.

* * *

"When can I go home?" Elena asked Dr. Fell as she looked over her medical chart.

When Damon left, he stopped by the Boarding House and picked up a change of clothes for Elena, knowing that she wouldn't want to return home in bloodied clothes. Kol had decided to stay with her, hoping that he would be invited home with her so that they could talk.

Dr. Fell checked her blood work one more time and nodded to herself, "You can go home tomorrow. Everything seems to be healing just fine and I know you don't want to be away from your daughter for too long. I understand that you're just visiting?"

"Her flight home is in a week," Damon interjected, "Is she safe to fly?"

"Definitely not," the doctor immediately objected, "No flying for at least _two_ weeks. It could be harmful. Do you have someone you can stay with?"

Damon nodded, "She'll be taken care of."

"She's going to need a lot of rest for the next few days. Her body needs to heal, so no _extracurricular activities_ for a week, preferably longer," she said, looking between the men in the room with a stern face, "But, as long as she heals just fine, then she can fly home in two weeks."

Elena rolled her eyes as the doctor left, "Ugh."

"Don't sass the doctor, Elena," Kol chided in an authoritative voice. She always knew she was in trouble when he used her actual name and not a nickname or pet name. He sighed and sat back down next to her, "I'm sure Nik will take excellent care of you."

The raven-haired man snorted, "I still haven't been able to find him, so good luck with that."

An uneasy feeling settled over Kol once more. It was unlike his brother to disappear, especially with how protective he seemed to be over Elena. He forced a smile as he said, "I'm sure Nik will come back eventually. He's always had to leave to blow off steam; now shouldn't be any different."

* * *

 _"_ _Come on, baby," Kol murmured, stroking the hair away from Elena's sweaty forehead, "You've got to keep fighting. I'm not ready for you to leave me yet."_

 _He looked down at the beautiful sixteen-year-old and sighed. He had known that something was wrong the second she began getting sick that winter, but she merely played it off as a cold. She had the chills all the time and she was so tired; he knew that she was sick._

 _Kol held her hand tightly, praying that she would wake up soon. He had found her on the floor of his bathroom three says prior and called an ambulance immediately. Her lungs had been filled with fluid and she collapsed._

 _"_ _Come with me, my love, to the sea, the sea of love," he sang softly, his lips against her palm as he held her tiny hand against his cheek, "I wanna tell you, how much I love you."_

 _Kol couldn't help the tears that threatened to fall. This girl was his everything; he wouldn't be able to live without her. He was sure of it._

 _"_ _I've always loved your voice."_

 _His head shot up and he was gazing into the familiar mahogany that often left him breathless. His hands instantly went to her cheeks and he kissed her as passionately as he could before he was gasping for air. Drawing his head back, the tears finally fell as he looked her over, "God, I was so worried."_

 _Elena smiled tiredly at him, "I'm sorry. I really thought I was fine."_

 _"_ _Don't you ever do that again," he practically growled before pulling her against him and holding her tightly, "I can't lose you, Elena. Not now, not ever."_

* * *

Elena awoke with a start, memories of Kol still swirling around in her head. Looking around, she was happy to see that she was in her room at the Boarding House and no longer at the hospital. She had been able to go home the day before and she was trying to settle in as Damon handled Claire and Kol tended to her; Klaus was nowhere to be found.

"Ah, you're up," Kol smiled as he walked into her room, a tray of soup in hand, "You have to be a little hungry now. Hospital food is the worst."

Elena gave him a small smile, "I'm a little hungry, but I need to use the restroom first." She sat up gingerly, mindful of her ribs, and swung her legs out of bed. As soon as she stood, the floor came rushing up to meet her face before a strong pair of arms caught her around the middle and held her up.

"Easy there," Kol murmured, supporting her easily, "You know you aren't supposed to be walking around too much."

She repressed a shiver at having him so close to her, "I just need the bathroom-"

"Come on, darling. I've got you."

He led her into the bathroom before closing the door and allowing her to do what she needed. Walking around her room, she straightened up a few things and made her bed. He wanted her to be as comfortable as possible.

While Damon had been taking care of Claire, Kol had been keeping an ear out for any sign of Klaus. No one had heard from him since he left the bar that night and it was beginning to worry Elena. He was never gone for so long, but, then again, they had never had a fight like that before.

"Help," Elena said from the doorway, hanging onto the support for dear life as she snapped him from his thoughts.

He slid his arm around her waist and helped her back into bed, putting the tray he brought up in front of her. He smiled, "The doctor said light meals and I guess Damon thought that meant soup. I was rooting for a sandwich, but _apparently_ Chef Salvatore knows best."

"Soup is great," she nodded, "I don't think I could stomach much else to be honest. With the accident and Nik's disappearing act, I feel like my stomach is in knots. He's still not answering his phone?"

Kol shook his head and sat down at the foot of her bed, rubbing her leg through the sheets reassuringly, "He probably just had to blow off some steam. He's never been good with confrontations. He'll come back when he's ready."

"How's Claire?"

"She's fine," he answered, grateful for the change of subject as he watched Elena eat, "I don't spend much time with her because Damon's being overprotective. But she's happy. She asks about you and Nik, but that's all. Why…why does she call him Uncle Nik?"

"Because he's not her father," she said simply, swallowing a spoonful of soup, "I thought that she should only call you 'dad'. I didn't want her to get confused later on. I'm actually surprised you haven't told her yet."

Kol stilled, "Wait, does that mean that I can? I thought you wouldn't want me to."

"Well, I don't. Not yet anyway," she hastened to add, "But when have you ever listened to anything that I've said?"

"I can think of a particularly sordid _act_ that involved me listening to you nonstop," he grinned wolfishly, "And, if I remember correctly, by the end of it we were both enjoying ourselves."

Elena's mouth gaped open before she reached over the tray and punched him in the arm, "Now is _not_ the time to discuss our sexcapades. Especially _that_ one."

"You enjoyed it," he muttered, rubbing his arm slightly with the smile still on his face.

She rolled her eyes, "Can you go get me my medicine, please? My ribs are starting to hurt…"

Kol jumped up in a flash and dashed down the stairs as she giggled. Looking over at her bedside table, she noticed her phone was flashing and picked it up, opening the text message that awaited her.

 _New Message From: Nik_

 _I'm sorry I took off like that. I just need a few days to myself, but I'll be back in time for our flight. Give Claire my love. I love you._

Elena sighed and deleted the message. She didn't even want to tell him what happened. If he needed time to himself, then that's exactly what she'd give him. She was perfectly content with the new improvements on her life.

Maybe Kol would end up sticking around. Maybe Claire would bond with him after all.

* * *

"Uncle Damon, why is Kol spending so much time with my momma?" Claire asked as she looked up from her dolls, "Is he her nurse?"

Damon chuckled and saved what he was working on, on his laptop, "Kol is helping your momma because she got hurt. He's kind of like a nurse, but he's her friend instead."

"When will Momma get better? And where's Uncle Nik? Shouldn't he be taking care of her?"

He gritted his teeth at the mention of the other Mikaelson. Klaus used to be his best friend, but after abandoning Elena and not bothering to check on her, he was way down on his list. Relaxing slightly, he replied, "Uncle Nik had some business to take care of. Besides, Kol's known your momma for a long time. He's good at taking care of her."

"How come I've never met him before?" She asked, her dark eyes full of questions.

"Because he lives here," Damon answered quickly, "And this is the first time you've been here, right? He's busy with work a lot. Even busier than your Uncle Nik."

"Oh," she said, resuming playing with her dolls as Kol bounded down the stairs and nearly collapsed on the sofa next to Damon. She looked up and smiled again, "Hi, Kol! Is my momma okay?"

Kol looked at the little girl in wonder before he shook away his thoughts, "Your mummy's just fine, sweetheart. She'll be back to taking you places in no time."

Claire got up and wrapped her arms around Kol's neck as she hugged him, "Thank you for taking care of my momma."

Kol's throat tightened as he hugged the girl, _his daughter_ , for the first time. His nose nuzzled against her chocolate ringlets and he inhaled her scent that was just like Elena's. She was perfect.

"You're welcome, Claire."

* * *

 **Be sure to leave a review!**

 **~Grace**


	12. Chapter 12

**The chapter you've all been waiting for! I totally thought I updated this yesterday... I'm sorry!  
**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

 _"_ _Shit," Elena whimpered, looking down at the little pink plus sign._

 _This wasn't part of her plan. Hell, she hadn't even finished high school yet! And Kol was leaving to go on tour in a few months; she couldn't take away his dream, too._

 _She curled up into a ball on the tiled floor of the Mikaelson bathroom, hugging her knees against her chest. There was a life growing inside of her. A life that she and Kol had created._

 _She had to tell him. He'd be happy, she knew that. All of her fears meant nothing when he loved her as much as he did. He had told her numerous times that he wanted to marry her and start a family; the ring on her finger proved that._

 _Elena looked down at the sparkling promise ring on her finger and sighed. They were in this together for better or worse and she knew that he would support whatever decision_ they _agreed upon._

 _Wiping away her tears, she stood and swung the bathroom door open, only to be met with the glacier blue eyes of the Mikaelson matriarch._

 _"_ _Esther."_

* * *

"Have you heard from Nik?" Damon asked across the coffee table, his eyes zeroing in on the youngest Mikaelson male, "I asked Elena and she said she hadn't."

Kol shrugged, looking up from the newspaper, "I called my mother and she said she hadn't heard from him, either. So, I'm assuming that he's staying somewhere else for the time being."

"Obviously not at a hotel since all the good ones are booked solid because of the holidays," the raven-haired man threw in, "I'm just angry he hasn't checked on her once. She deserves better than that."

Kol agreed wholeheartedly, but held his tongue. The past few days had given him time to reestablish his role in Elena's life and he had been grateful. He knew that they would never return to the way their relationship was when they were teenagers, but he still loved her. God, he loved her.

"Come on, baby. Go wash your hands and I'll make you some eggs, okay?" Elena asked the little girl trailing behind her with a smile on her face.

"Okay, Momma," Claire agreed, skipping to the bathroom as he pigtails bounced.

Kol looked at the scene happily. Seeing the love of his life and _their_ daughter together was always enough to make butterflies appear in his stomach; not that he'd ever admit that out loud.

He watched as Claire came running back in and sat at her normal place at the table, between him and Damon. Her chocolate eyes observed the table before they landed on Kol's glass of orange juice.

Sensing that she didn't want to ask her mother to do more for her, her father asked, "Do you want some orange juice, Claire?"

"Yes, please," her eyes lit up as she smiled.

Elena peeked over her shoulder and her heart warmed as she watched Kol pour her a glass of juice. Since she found out that she was pregnant, she wanted this very scene before her every day. She wanted to see Kol and Claire together, bonding as a father and daughter should. Her heart had never let go of him, but now it was pulling her in two different directions.

How could she get what she wanted without hurting Klaus in the process? Could she truly be selfish enough to throw away everything he had sacrificed for her and her daughter? She knew that Klaus always held out hope to be able to be with her completely, but she never saw him that way. She just couldn't hurt him either.

"Someone's losing track of time, again," Kol whispered in her ear as he pulled the frying pan off of the stove. His arm had wound itself around her waist and was holding her small body tightly against his much larger frame as he murmured, "How are you feeling? Any pain?"

Elena shook her head, not trusting her voice quite yet. Whenever he was this close to her, her mind seemed to scatter in every which way. Lust and love clouded her emotions as she struggled to formulate a tiny, "I'm okay."

He smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of her wavy hair before splitting the eggs onto two plates and offering one to Claire.

"Do you have any plans for today, 'Lena?" Damon asked as he watched Claire devour her breakfast, "I have to go down to the studio today and talk with Andie, but I'm free after that."

"Oh," the brunette said as she took her seat across from Claire, "I was actually going to ask if you could take me to my parents. I'm not cleared to drive yet and my mom has been hounding me to see Claire."

Kol observed the disappointment on Elena's face and stepped in, "I can take you. I'm free for the next few weeks. Damon can join us when he's finished if he wants."

Damon watched Kol critically before he nodded, "That would be fine, that way you and Claire aren't waiting on me."

"So, it's settled. I'm sure your mum will be excited to see me," Kol smiled as Elena snorted so hard she nearly choked on her coffee.

* * *

"Stop fussing," Kol chided softly as he watched Elena readjust her hair for the fifth time to try and cover the small stitches receding into her hairline, "You look beautiful."

Elena groaned, "You know she's going to freak out if she notices that I got stitches. I told her it was a _minor_ accident because I didn't want her to worry."

Kol sighed and nodded as he continued driving. Claire was singing along in the backseat to some Christmas song that was playing on the radio, completely oblivious to what was happening in the front seat. He knew firsthand how overbearing the Gilbert matriarch could be and kept his mouth shut. When he was dating Elena, he was on the other end of many protective threats and _talks_.

"Does…does she know I'm coming?" He asked hesitantly, seeing the familiar colonial home come up in front of them.

She fidgeted slightly, "They still think Nik is coming. So, either way, they'll be relieved to see you instead. You know how they felt about him."

"Do they… _know_?"

Elena nodded, "Of course they know; they're my parents."

He groaned, "So, let me guess, they hate me, right?"

"Not at all," she said quietly, disentangling her fingers from her hair and turning to face him as the car stopped, "They understand why I did what I did. They don't blame you for it."

"Nana and Papa's house!" Claire squealed, scrambling to undo her booster seat, "Do you think Nana made cookies, Momma?"

Elena smiled and unbuckled her own seatbelt before twisting and undoing her daughter's booster seat as well, "I'm not sure, but there's only one way to find out, right? Go on inside and Kol and I will be there in just a minute."

Claire wasted no time catapulting herself out of the car and scurrying to the front door, dragging her doll by the hair behind her.

"I missed so much," Kol said quietly as he observed his daughter, "I missed all the important things in her life."

She sighed and looked over at the man who once meant everything to her, "You didn't miss _everything_. She still has her whole life ahead of her. Yeah, you were absent for the first five years, but there's still so much left."

"Tell me. Please," he turned to Elena and took her hand in his, his dark eyes beseeching hers, "I need to know why. If it's nothing I did, then why did you leave?"

She took a deep breath and looked down at their entwined hands, "Your mother. Esther…she had suspected that I was pregnant for a few weeks and I finally took the test when I was staying over one night. And…she found out."

"Then why did you leave?" He asked, his brow furrowing, "Telling our parents would've been the hard part, darling, and if my mum already knew-"

"She told me to get rid of Claire," Elena whispered, tears filling her eyes as she looked at him, "She said that you wouldn't have time for a baby because you were going on tour. That you wouldn't have wanted our baby anyway."

Kol's mouth opened and closed a few times, completely lost for words. He couldn't believe that his mother would do something like that to the woman he loved more than life.

He leaned forward and took her face in his hands, stroking her cheeks reassuringly with his thumbs as he firmly said, "That wasn't her choice to make. I would've been thrilled to know that you were pregnant with _my_ child. Of course I would've put the tour on hold as well, but it would've been worth it to see you with my child."

She shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks, "I couldn't ask you to do that. Your tour was important and Esther didn't want you settling for some small town girl that you knocked up-"

"Don't you dare talk about yourself or _our_ child like that. I would've gladly put my entire life on hold if it meant that you were happy and that Claire was healthy. I…I know that you had a tough pregnancy and I'm sorry that I wasn't there for that…but if I would've known, I would've dropped everything to help you," he swore quietly, searching her mahogany eyes, "My mother was wrong. She had no right to tell you what to do with our baby."

* * *

Kol drove as fast as the speed limits allowed on his way to his family's home. After convincing Elena that he had to run to the store to pick something up, he decided to pay his mother a visit and confront her about what she truly thought about Claire.

After pulling up next to a beat up rental car in the driveway, he huffed as he slammed the car door and made his way to the house. He was so angry that he could hardly see straight, but he knew that he had to keep his calm.

"Sweetheart, how lovely to see you," Esther said, looking up from the magazine she was reading on the couch, "I wasn't expecting you today. Is everything all right?"

Kol gritted his teeth as he took a seat on the couch opposite his mother, "We need to talk."

She stiffened slightly, but offered a frosty smile as she airily said, "Oh? About what?"

"Tell me that you didn't make Elena leave," he said, barely controlling the rage in his voice, "Tell me that you didn't know she was pregnant with _my_ child."

Esther laughed, her bright teeth sparkling as she smiled maliciously, "Why would you care? You were quick to right her off when she left, so why should you believe anything she says? She left on Christmas Eve for Christ's sake and she was only seventeen."

"Yeah, she was _only_ seventeen. No sane seventeen-year-old would run away from home knowing that she was pregnant," he stood and pointed an accusing finger at her, his voice raising, "You wanted her to get an abortion, didn't you? You didn't want her to tell me because you knew that I'd choose her over my career!"

"Your career was more important!" She yelled, standing as well and wrinkling her nose bitterly, "She was a schoolyard crush! She didn't deserve to be a Mikaelson, especially if that child would've been born out of wedlock! Lord, could you imagine the gossip? No, it was better that she took care of that little problem when she did."

Kol's hand dropped as he took in what his mother said. He smiled slightly as he spoke, "You don't know then, do you?"

"Know what?" She spat, crossing her arms over her chest.

"She kept the baby. She kept _my_ baby," he said reverently, "Nik has been raising that little girl for the past five years. The little girl whose last name is _Mikaelson_."

Esther stifled her gasp, "You're lying. Nik would never bring dishonor on our family that way."

"Suit yourself, but that Claire is your granddaughter," he said hotly, "And she is entitled to everything that a Mikaelson is entitled to."

Her eyes widened as she yelled, "Niklaus!"

Kol's brows furrowed as his mother yelled, only for Klaus to walk in with a bored look on his face looking a little worse for wear.

"Yes, Mother?"

"You've been here? This entire time, you've been _here_?" The youngest grated in anger, "You left Elena to fend for herself while you've been enjoying the mansion?"

"You also neglected to tell me of your partner's child," Esther said coolly, "I believe that should have come up at one point or another."

The blond's eyes shot from brown to blue over and over again, trying to think of a reasonable answer that would expunge him from scrutiny. He hadn't wanted to deal with this now, not ever, but it looked like fate was no longer on his side.

"Claire is of no consequence to the Mikaelson name," Klaus answered, choosing the harder to please of the two, "It was simply a formality that I extended to Elena when Claire was born so the child would have some sense of paternity."

Kol growled, "That's a goddamned lie and you know it!" He turned to his mother and pleaded, "Claire will be six next year. The timeline is too precise for her not to be mine. You know it, I know it, and _he_ knows it, too."

"You knew that girl was pregnant when you took her in, didn't you?" Klaus opened his mouth to reply, but she held up her hand and spoke once more, "Didn't you, Niklaus?"

"Yes," Klaus admitted sullenly, "I knew she was pregnant, but not with Kol's-"

"My name is on the birth certificate, you bastard," the youngest Mikaelson threw out, "You knew that. Hell, all of our siblings know that I fathered her!"

Klaus walked so he was toe to toe with his brother, snarling down in his face, "You have no idea what you're talking about. You were too immature to be a father then and you're still too immature to be one now. Claire would do well to never know who her real father is; a drunk, a cheat, and a womanizer!"

"Well, at least I didn't run over my girlfriend and leave her for dead in the middle of the bloody road!"

The eldest pales immensely as he took a step back, his blue eyes darting around Kol's face for any hint of a lie as stuttered, "I-I don't k-know what you're t-talking about."

"Oh please!" Kol growled, his eyes turning almost black, "You were so wasted, yet you _insisted_ upon going and finding Elena yourself. You and Damon couldn't have been more than twenty minutes apart from each other and you were both headed in the same direction. But when Damon got there, Elena was lying in the street in a pool of her own blood. She almost died, Nik! And then you pulled your bloody disappearing act and didn't even bother to check on her!"

Klaus sneered, "That doesn't prove anything-"

"Not to mention how beat up the rental car is outside. Hit something recently?" Kol huffed, "I think the correct question would be some _one_ instead of some _thing_!"

Esther turned to Klaus, worry evident on her face, "You told me that you hit a deer. Was that a lie, Niklaus? Is Kol telling the truth? Did you hit that girl?"

"I-it was an accident! I was drunk-" he stopped and turned back to Kol, "You can't tell her. I'll lose her forever if she found out."

"You don't deserve her."

* * *

 **Be sure to leave a review!**

 **Oh! And I'm doing a little contest type thing. If you can guess my age, where I'm from, and my favorite color, I will do a one-shot with a pairing of your choice! (TVD/TO only, please). Just leave a review with your answers (and preferred one-shot pairing) and whoever's closest will be announced next chapter :)**

 **I will be doing this for all my stories, but there will only be one winner. That means if you read all my current stories, then you can comment on each of them with a guess to increase your odds!**

 **Thanks, guys!**

 **~Grace**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi, guys! I know this is late, so thanks for bearing with me.**

 **The reaction to the contest has been crazy! I'm so surprised that you all have gone out of your way to participate. No one has guessed accurately, however. I thought I'd give you some hints!**

 **If you've read a few of my older stories, you'd know that I first visited America in September for the TVD convention in Vegas. Also, that I celebrated my first Thanksgiving this year! My age is legal in my country and I tend to shift more towards the obscured colours than normal ones. By the way, I don't need specifics for location. Knowing the country works just as well. :)**

 **Maybe that will help? :)**

 **Oh, and on a completely heart-wrenching note, David Bowie passed away on the tenth. My heart has ben broken beyond repair, I'm afraid. I've loved that man since I was two years old and I've been listening to his music on repeat since I found out. (Shout out to Daniel Gillies for tweeting it and letting me know)**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! And remember to include your story pairing if you make a guess!**

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

"I may not deserve her, but why the hell would you think that _you_ do?" Klaus growled, taking a step closer to Kol, "You abandoned her while she was pregnant. I was there! I was there for her for the-"

"The second and third trimester, right?" Kol cut in, anger blazing in his eyes, "If I'm not mistaken, _Damon_ was the one who cared for her during her first trimester, the most important one! You only latched onto her because she was carrying a _Mikaelson_."

Klaus sneered, "Like that name means anything to me."

"Enough!" Esther yelled, her eyes going back and forth between her sons, "This is a feud that is better suited for another time. I'm more than disappointed that Niklaus didn't alert me of the child's presence, but that will be dealt with at another time."

Kol snorted, "So, let me get this straight, you're perfectly alright with your favorite son running over an innocent woman, but God forbid that you have an illegitimate grandchild."

"Accidents can be covered up and taken care of," Esther said, waving her hand in dismissal, "But a child? That won't blow over. As soon as the Founders hear of this-"

"Fuck the bloody Founders!" Kol roared, pushing Klaus away from him and striding over to his mother, "That little girl is a part of _you_ , a part of this _family_! How could you abandon your own flesh and blood for political and social standing?"

Esther sniffed, "She was a teenage mistake that you and that _girl_ made. She wasn't supposed to be born and I thought I ensured the desired outcome when she left. Apparently, I was wrong."

"Elena is a smart and wonderful woman," Kol said vehemently, his eyes trained on icy blue, "She is kind and loving and simply everything good in this world. And Claire? Claire is _just_ like her. And I'm beyond honored to call her my daughter."

* * *

"Where's Kol?" Damon asked as Elena helped Claire into the car.

Elena had called Damon as soon as Kol took off because she knew that he wasn't simply going to the store. She knew he was going to confront his mother and she wasn't sure how long that would take. But, of course, Damon was available just as he had promised and she was grateful that she and Claire had a constant in their life.

"I told him what happened," she said vaguely as she climbed into the front seat and buckled up. She gave him a pointed look and he nodded in understanding.

"And how'd he take it?" He asked, pulling out of the Gilbert's driveway and heading to the Boarding House, "I assume not too well."

She paused and appraised Claire in the back seat before she sighed, "He was actually upset about it. I think it's good that he knows now and he's trying to fix it as much as he can."

Damon nodded as he kept his eyes on the road. He was happy that Kol was stepping up, but he was still sad that she hadn't come to _him_. He would always love Elena and being a part of her life like this was better than not at all.

* * *

After a late lunch for the girls and Damon, Kol finally made his way back to the Boarding House, most of his anger having burned off. Sure, he was still seething, but the thought of seeing the love of his life and their little girl.

The scene playing in the living room when he arrived was one that he'd envisioned a million times over. His girls were curled up on the couch watching a _Disney_ movie that Elena was humming along to as Claire danced every now and then.

"So this is what my girls are up to," he smiled as he walked over to the back of the couch and kissed the top of Elena's head softly, "I'm glad that you two made it home alright."

Elena turned and smiled at him, "Damon got finished a little early. I told him you'd be along soon. How was the… _store_?"

He chagrined at being caught as he sheepishly said, "Informative."

She arched an eyebrow, "Care to explain?"

"When Claire takes a nap, I'll fill you in on all the sordid details," he promised, taking a seat beside her, "Anyway, where's Damon?"

"Finishing up some paperwork, I'd imagine," she shrugged, laying her head on his shoulder.

Kol looked over her head to see Claire completely engrossed on the animated film unraveling on the screen in front of her. Wrapping his arm around Elena's shoulder, he allowed himself to relax and willed away all the tension he'd been storing.

"This is nice," she whispered, burrowing further against his chest.

He smiled and kept his eyes closed, "Very."

A little while later, he felt something small crawl into his lap and he opened his eyes to see Claire curled up right next to her mother on his chest. The little girl closed her eyes and was out in a second, just like Elena.

His heart swelled at the realization that this could be his future. He could have Elena and Claire and not worry about losing either of them ever again.

He placed a soft kiss to his daughter's curls before allowing sleep to claim him as well.

* * *

Elena awoke feeling warm and comfortable. Blinking away sleep, she realized that she was curled up on Kol with Claire nestled against both of them. A small smile graced her lips before she carefully disentangled herself and made her way into the kitchen.

"I was wondering when you'd wake up," Damon said quietly, a smirk on his face, "You know it worries me when Claire suddenly goes quiet."

She smiled at him and poured a cup of coffee before joining him at the island, "I guess the accident finally caught up to me."

"No one's mad that you're tired, 'Lena. You need all the rest you can get."

"I know, I just feel so useless lately," she sighed, "Without you and Kol, I have no idea what I'd do. You both have helped so much."

"He loves you," Damon murmured, turning and facing her directly, "He's always loved you. And he's grown up, I can't deny that. He loves Claire and I can see how much being a father means to him."

She bit her lower lip as she thought over his words, "What about Nik? He's been there-"

"He's only been there because Kol didn't know," he cut in, a stern look crossing his face, "I never disagreed with your choice not to tell him, but you'd be making a mistake if you walked away after this."

Elena sniffled, wiping away a tear that had unknowingly fell, "I can't walk away, Damon. I can't walk away when it's real."

* * *

"She sleeps just like you do," Kol murmured in the doorway of Claire's room, "Hair everywhere, one leg up, and buried in pillows."

Elena smiled and playfully elbowed him in the ribs, "She's just as cranky when she gets woken up, too, so we might as well leave her alone."

He smiled and pulled her from the room, pressing her against the wall beside it as he looked down at her in wonder, "How did I ever survive without you?"

The brunette blushed and looked down, trying to reign in her rogue emotions. All she wanted was to kiss him and beg his forgiveness for the past six years. She needed him and craved his forgiveness like no other.

Before he could give her time to think, Kol bent down and pressed his lips against hers in an innocent way. His hands settled at her hips, resisting the urge to rut against her like a nineteen-year-old boy.

However, she was having none of that. The soft, simple kiss he initiated lit a fire in her belly that she hadn't felt since the last time they were together. Her arms wound around his neck and she grabbed a fistful of his hair as she bucked her hips against his, wanting every bit of closeness that he had to offer her.

He drew a ragged breath as he pulled back to look at her cautiously, "'Lena…I don't want to take advantage of you. I couldn't forgive myself-"

"I've wanted you since I was fifteen, you idiot," she panted, tangling her fingers in the short hair at the nape of his neck, "No one else meant anything compared to you. I want you; I've _always_ wanted you."

Needing no further encouragement, his lips met hers in the frenzied way of a man having been denied something for far too long. The hand on her hip had slid down her thigh and effectively hitched her leg around his hip while the other had splayed across her perky behind, drawing her against his throbbing erection as tightly as he could.

Elena bucked against him as she caught his bottom lip between her teeth and tugged lightly, causing him to groan into her mouth and pin her against the way with his hips. His lips trailed down her jaw and to her neck, biting the skin punishingly before soothing the pain with his tongue as she squirmed against him.

"M-maybe we sh-should go to my room," she struggled breathlessly.

Kol pulled away just enough to hitch her other leg around him as well and carried her down the hall to her room, hardly stopping to kick the door shut behind him. Tossing Elena onto the bed, he crawled between her legs and resumed kissing her in earnest.

She tore his shirt over his head before he could reattach his lips and hungrily slipped off her shirt as well, dropping kisses on the swells of her breasts. Her bra was a beautiful lacy peach, encasing her full breasts beautifully. Drawing back, he fingered the fabric lovingly as her chest heaved while she tried to catch her breath.

"You've always been so beautiful," he murmured reverently, "I could stare at you all night."

Elena giggled and arched her back as she reached around and unclasped her bra, flinging the garment across the room. His hands immediately went to them, holding the soft flesh in his hands as he ducked his head and firmly suckled against one of her tight peaks.

Drawing back, his eyebrows creased as he asked, "Is my memory wrong, or are they bigger now?"

She seemed to tense immediately, her eyes looking anywhere but his face as she whispered, "Pregnancy does a lot to a woman's body…"

"You're still the most gorgeous woman that I've ever seen," he breathed against her lips as he palmed her breasts, slowly reacquainting himself with her body.

Kol noticed that while her breasts had gotten fuller, her hips had gotten wider as well; clear stripes decorating her skin from carrying his child. Deciding to keep up his explorations, he gently tugged down the black yoga pants she was wearing, revealing a scrap of peach lace panties that barely covered an almost translucent scar about five inches below her belly button.

He traced the length of the scar carefully, his eyes wide as he realized what it meant, "You had a c-section?"

"I didn't have a choice," Elena said softly, staring at the ceiling, "Claire was already early and she was breach…they didn't have time to try to flip her around."

He nodded his understanding and kissed the scar lovingly.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered slightly, her eyes filling with tears.

Kol jerked back and looked up at her, confusion coloring his face, "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. You carried my child inside of you despite how hard it was and for that I'm grateful. I love you, Elena, and nothing has ever or will ever change that."

Hiccupping slightly, she pulled his mouth back to hers and kissed him with all the emotion she'd been saving up for the past six years. Her insecurities, her shortcomings, and her loneliness all poured into her kisses, wanting to convey how much he truly meant to her and how much she had missed him.

"I love you," she whispered, relishing in the feel of her bare chest against his.

He smiled and kissed her softly, "I'll always love you, darling."

* * *

 **Be sure to leave a review and have a guess at my questions! (My age, location, and favourite colour!)**

 **(I'm throwing in my normal vernacular and spelling to see if it helps you all.)**

 **~Grace**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm so sorry that this is late, guys! I've been too busy lately. I'm still on holiday in the states, and I'll probably be here until March. (I'm not sure yet).**

 **My muse has been MIA since the deaths of David Bowie and Alan Rickman. I've tried to motivate myself to get new chapters out for my stories, but it's proving to be harder than I thought. I've lost the men who taught me to read and sing and I feel a bit lost.**

 **The contest is still happening. Only a few people have guessed my favorite color, age, and location. (But no one has done it with a single guess!) So, by next week if it's not been guessed by a single person, I'll be picking whomever is closest.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

"So…did the cat finally get the cream?" Damon asked with a smirk on his face as Elena padded into the kitchen the next morning.

She rolled her eyes and smiled as she reached for the cup of coffee he was holding out to her, "If you're asking if we had sex, the answer is no. Not that it's any of your business."

"Oh, come on, the super couple getting back together?" Damon chuckled, "I think I should be the _first_ to know of that development."

Elena laughed along with him as she took a seat at the island, grabbing an apple off the counter before biting into it, "You know, I think that Claire might be ready to know about him. I know that it's sudden, and even if we don't work out, I think he's mature enough to handle knowing he has a child that he needs to be around for."

"I hate to admit it, but Kol would move the moon and stars for that little girl. Claire deserves to know about him."

* * *

"Momma!" Claire yelled as she ran into Elena's room and jumped onto the bed, squishing who was currently under the covers.

Kol grunted as her full weight landed carelessly on his stomach and bit back his groan of pain. Fumbling with the covers, he flung them back and looked into the mirror image of his eyes with a smile on his face.

Claire's brows furrowed as she looked at the man in the bed, "Kol, where's my momma? And why are you in her bed?"

"Uh, well…" Kol couldn't think of any possible explanation to give a five-year-old. Everything he came up with had varying colorful words that would scar her for the rest of her life.

"Claire, would you leave your daddy alone, please?" Elena's voice called from the doorway, "I think he's still trying to sleep."

Claire's eyes widened almost comically as she processed what her mother said. Looking down at Kol, she asked, "You're my daddy?"

Kol's throat seemed to close up as he took in the ramifications of Elena's words. He had been waiting what seemed like forever for this little girl to call him Daddy. Smiling at her, he nodded, "I'm your daddy, Claire."

The little girl squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck as she hugged him. He hugged her back fiercely, desperately trying to make up for all the years he had missed.

He didn't even feel Elena crawl into bed with them until she whispered, "I hope you don't mind. It just seemed right."

Kol turned his head away from his daughter's curls and gave her a watery smile, "I love you, baby. I love you so much." He leaned over to kiss her as she wrapped her arms around her little family and smiled against his mouth.

* * *

"I need to talk to you," Kol said as he walked into the parlor of the Boarding House.

Damon looked up from his book and furrowed his brows, "Where're the girls?"

"Rebekah took them to the park for the day with Elijah," the younger man shrugged, "But that's beside the point. I need to ask for advice-"

"I'm not helping you get into my best friend's pants, Kol."

"What? No! I wouldn't need your advice on that. And if memory serves, I've been there _multiple_ times and you've yet to visit," Kol said arrogantly with a smirk before he shook his head and continued, "It's not about that; it's far more important. I know who hit Elena, but I'm not sure that she needs to know."

That got Damon's attention. His head jerked up and his blue eyes bored into brown as he gritted out, "What's the bastard's name?"

"Calm down, it's more delicate than I originally thought-"

"Calm down? _Calm down_?" The raven-haired man repeated incredulously as he stood and paced the room, "How the _fuck_ am I supposed to calm down when you know who almost killed Elena?"

Kol sighed inwardly. He knew it would be a long shot to have Damon see reason, but he felt that he was the only one he could tell. Deciding to rip off the proverbial band-aid, he said, "Nik. It was Nik."

"What?" Damon came to a complete stop and his mouth hung nearly all the way open.

"I went to my family's house yesterday and he was there. The car he rented was mangled and he told my mum he had hit a deer. A _deer_ ," Kol took a shuddering breath, trying to control his anger enough to get through the rage he was feeling, "He left the bar before you left to pick her up, if my calculations are correct. It gives him enough time to get to her first, hit her, and then seek shelter at that godforsaken house."

Damon shook his head, "He wouldn't just leave her. He would-"

"He had been drinking when I got to the bar. Heavily drinking. The bartender was just about to cut him off when I arrived," Kol grimaced, "He admitted it, too. He was too scared of losing her to stick around."

"I just…I knew he could be a bastard, but I didn't think he could actually do that," the older man sighed, practically collapsing onto the couch and holding his head in his hands, "She needs to know, though. He can't be allowed around her any more."

Kol sighed, "And it would destroy her perception of him. I agree that he simply needs to disappear, but Elena trusts him like no other. Even though he left, we really know the reason why."

"What if it was Claire?"

"What?" Kol asked sharply.

Damon looked up at him, a determined look on his face, "What if he left Claire for dead in the middle of the road? It's not just about keeping Elena safe anymore. Claire's part of this, too."

* * *

"All right, all right, give me the details!" Rebekah gushed as she sat down next to the brunette on the park bench.

Elena rolled her eyes as she watched Claire play on the jungle jim, waving to her every so often. Turning her attention back to her pseudo-sister-in-law, she smiled, "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, come on! I haven't seen you this happy since you were dating my brother and I hear from a very _reliable_ source that he's been hanging around the Boarding House more often than not!"

The brunette giggled, "I swear, Damon is such a gossip. Kol's been helping me recover since the accident and he's been great with Claire. I honestly thought I'd be lost without Nik to help me, but…Kol's really stepped up. He's…"

"Grown up?" Rebekah suggested, a wry smile on her full lips, "I've been trying to tell you that for the past couple years. Being on tour has helped him be responsible for himself. He's not the same kid he used to be."

Elena's chocolate eyes wandered back to her daughter as she spoke quietly, "I told Claire that Kol was her father this morning. You should've seen the two of them together, it was the sweetest thing." She smiled fondly as she remembered, meeting blue eyes once more, "I'm glad that it's out in the open now. Kol deserves to be her father in every way. I know that Nik will probably be upset, but-"

"Who cares?" The blonde said snottily, "I love my brother, but he can be a right arse at times. Nik's given her stability and love and Damon's given her a good father figure. Finn and Elijah have stepped in as well to give that little girl a well-rounded look at fatherhood and that's all that matters. Now that Nik's involved, she doesn't need all of that anymore."

"But, Nik's supposed to come home with us."

"Oh, love, you don't really think that New Orleans is still your home, do you? It stopped being your home the moment you acknowledged that you still have feelings for my youngest brother."

* * *

"No, Claire, you need something healthier than that sugary cereal," Elena chided as the little girl pouted and put back the box of cereal, "Why don't you look for yogurt or some fruit? You know, Uncle Damon will probably make you pancakes until we leave."

After getting back from the park, Kol had insisted that they go grocery shopping for the week still ahead of them. Elena had changed her plane ticket once again and extended it so she could tie up loose ends and make sure she was fit for travel.

"Come on, sweetheart, let's go find you something else," Kol said, taking his daughter's hand and leading her towards the produce.

Elena smiled at the picture they made and continued going down her grocery list, idly throwing things in the cart and crossing them off. She couldn't think of a single time before this when she had felt so happy and carefree. It was like her life was falling into place the way it always should have.

Yes, she still missed Klaus, but she realized that she was better off without him. He hadn't even checked on her after her accident. For all she knew, he could have taken a flight back to New Orleans and forgotten all about her. She didn't want to go back, not really, but she had to get her affairs in order. She had decided that she would sell her apartment and either move into the Boarding House or find a small apartment to rent until she and Kol figured out what they wanted to do.

Elena had planned on running this all past Kol soon; she was just waiting for the perfect opportunity. Saying he's be happy would be the understatement of the century.

"So, we got apples, blueberries, and strawberry yogurt," Kol said, turning the aisle and displaying Claire proudly on his strong shoulders and balancing the items he listed off in his arms, "Sound good, mummy?"

"Blueberries for blueberry pancakes, Momma!" Claire squealed as Kol dropped their groceries into the cart.

The brunette giggled and smiled, "Sounds perfect, Claire-bear. Did you pick that all out on your own?"

"No, Momma! Daddy helped me!"

* * *

Klaus had been feeling remorse. He was upset with himself that he had hurt the only woman whom he had only loved and he knew that by keeping his distance, he was slowly driving her away from him.

He had grumbled and huffed when his mother had sent him to the grocery store to pick up bread for dinner, thinking he was higher above such a mundane task. Knowing better than to argue, he simply borrowed her car and headed to the store, hoping to remain incognito for as long as possible.

"Did you pick that out all on your own?"

He froze as he heard the object of his affection speak. He hadn't bargained on running into her here of all places, but his curiosity got the better of him. Walking down the aisle, he kept his eyes on the woman in front of him. Searching for Claire, his eyes stopped on the man whose shoulders she was perched atop comfortably.

"No, Momma! Daddy helped me!" The little girl bubbled out, a smile on her face.

Before he could stop himself, he angrily asked, " _Daddy_?"

* * *

 **Be sure to leave a review! And a guess (Age, favourite colour, and country)**

 **~Grace**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello, readers! I hope you all like this chapter. (I got a little carried away, oops.)**

 **I finally reached 100 reviews on this story, thank you all so much!**

 **Someone finally got all three of the questions I asked right! For those of you wondering, I'm 20 years old, from Australia, and my favorite color is turquoise! I work super hard to make sure my vernacular is up to date with Americans because with some fanfictions there's too much variance with the author's natural speak and it bothers me! Thank you, Alyn! I'll work on an Elijah one shot for you, darling.**

 **Also, a huge shout out to HCookie. Sweetheart, I absolutely adore you and your commentary. You brighten my day and this chapter is dedicated to you!**

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

Elena turned, her blood running cold as she recognized the voice behind her. Her chocolate eyes landed on her ex-lover and all she could muster was disgust at the sight of him, "Yes, _Niklaus_ , Kol is Claire's daddy."

Kol watched the exchange silently, ready to intervene if necessary. If being with Elena had taught him anything, it was that she was more than capable of taking care of herself. He saw the way that his brother inhaled sharply at the sound of his name and fought back a satisfied smile.

Klaus strode forward, staring down fiercely at the petite brunette, "I have sacrificed _years_ of my life for you, for Claire. I'm not about to step aside and let my prick of a little brother come in and take credit for all my hard work."

"Was that all we were to you?" She asked quietly, her eyes watering slightly, "A project, something to pass the time? Or were you just doing it to gain recognition?"

The older man blanched, "N-no, it was never like that-"

"Then you'd have to have known that Kol would be back in our lives eventually," she cut him off, her anger flaring up, "Did you expect Claire to never know her father? Just go. I don't need this today."

Kol had gently removed Claire from his shoulders and sent her along to the ice cream section. He could sense that something was brewing and he didn't want her to see.

As Elena moved to walk away, Klaus' arm thrust out and he wrapped his fingers around her forearm tightly, dragging her back towards him. His normally handsome face was twisted into a snarl as he menacingly leaned down and growled, "Claire only knows _me_ as her father and that's the bloody way it's going to stay. Now, you're going to be a good girl and come home with me, so the three of us can go about our lives as if this little _interruption_ never happened."

She stared at him defiantly, trying to keep in the cry of pain that was threatening to slip from her lips. His fingers kept tightening, but she didn't want to cause any more of a scene than what was already being displayed. Taking a deep breath through her nose, she whispered, "You're hurting me."

Kol had heard enough and with three long strides he was hauling his brother off of the mother of his child. Klaus staggered underneath his brother's weight, his anger turning to rage.

"You will not _fucking_ touch her again," Kol gritted out, his hand placed on Klaus' shoulder in a restraining manner, "Or I will break every bone in your pathetic body and not think twice about it."

Klaus sneered, "You don't have the guts-"

"Watch your mouth or news of your little _accident_ will get out," Kol said quietly, being sure that Elena didn't hear, "Now leave."

Kol watched as Klaus turned and stormed off before he turned his attention to the woman behind him. Elena's fingers were wrapped around where Klaus had grabbed her, tears streaming down her face. He was at her side in a second, looking her over for any other signs of harm even though he had been present for the entire conversation. Sighing, he asked, "Are you all right?"

"I'll be fine," she said softly, wiping away the tears hastily, "W-where's Claire?"

Right on queue, a little voice chirped, "I got chocolate ice cream, Momma! Look – Momma, what happened?"

Elena shook her head and gave Claire a smile, "Nothing, Claire-bear. Are you ready to go home?"

"Yep!"

* * *

The day passed slowly for Elena. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with Klaus and Kol, but she knew that things couldn't remain how they were for the past six years. She and Klaus had grown apart, she realized that, but if she let him go, then she was giving up the familiarity she had grown accustomed to.

Something was different with Klaus and it bothered her greatly. At the grocery store he seemed more on edge and that was never how he was. Calm, calculating – _that_ was the Klaus that she knew. He was careful with his emotions and words when around others, but why was he acting to strange?

The night had found Elena curled up in bed with a book, trying hard to decipher the thoughts that ran rampant in her mind. Claire had been fairly easy to put to sleep and Damon and Kol were enjoying a drink before bed. It gave Elena more time to think than she would've liked, but deep down she knew that she needed it desperately.

Her heart and body were telling her to welcome Kol back into her life, but her mind was telling her that it was too soon. Was it really? They had problems, yes, but the fact of the matter was that their chemistry was too much to deny. She had loved him for longer than she could remember and all she wanted was the life that had been taken from her – taken from Claire.

"You're still up."

Elena turned her head to the voice and smiled when her eyes landed on Kol's form in the doorway. His hair was mussed slightly and his white t-shirt was tight against his muscles while his dark jeans hung low on his hips. She bit her lip and blushed, looking back at the book in her lap. Her body had never had a problem responding to his.

""I wasn't sure…if you wanted me to take a guest room or not…after last night," he finished awkwardly, leaning against the doorframe. His eyes wandered her form, grateful for the thin camisole and boy shorts that were showing off her assets.

She smiled and looked up, her embarrassment gone for the moment, "You can stay here. I think Claire expects it anyway, to be honest."

Kol took the invitation and allowed his feet to take him to the side of the bed, his brow furrowed, "But do _you_ want me here? It's not about Claire, it's about us. I…I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"When have I ever passed up an opportunity to sleep beside you?" She asked softly, her chocolate eyes staring up at him questioningly as she reached for his hand, "I like touching you. I like having you near me."

Kneeling on the floor, Kol took her face in his hands, softly brushing his thumb along her lower lip, "Does that mean that I get to touch you tonight?"

"How do you want to touch me?" She asked him breathlessly, trying to control the heat that was growing between her legs.

"I want to kiss every inch of your body. I want to suckle on that little bud of yours that makes you see all the colors of the rainbow. I want to taste the sweet wetness between your thighs that drives me crazy. I want to tease you until you're a writhing, whimpering mess beneath me," he paused, allowing one of his hands to drift down the her abdomen, toying with the lace of her boyshorts, "I want to bury myself so deep inside you that you only remember _me_."

By this point, Elena _was_ a mess. Her body was aching with the need for his hands on her and she was sure that her flimsy lace panties were completely soaked through. Everything she'd wanted for six years was currently in front of her and she had to have him.

She _had_ to.

"How could I remember what I never forgot?"

And with that he was on her. Tongue, teeth, lips caressed every piece of skin he could reach as he pushed her onto her back and covered her small body with his much larger one. Her camisole had found its way over her head before she could protest as his mouth closed onto one of her nipples while he massaged her other breast expertly.

Elena's head was thrown back as her hand tangled into his hair and held his head against her breast, delighting in the feel of his suckling and the slight pain his teeth brought as he grazed her delicate flesh. Her senses were beyond magnified and she couldn't seem to form a coherent thought to save her life. She only knew that she wanted him as close as possible as her nails dug into the skin of his back under his shirt as she tried to pull him closer.

He hissed at the pain, pulling away and giving her a wolfish grin, "I forgot that my beautiful kitten had claws." He bent down and nipped her neck before pulling off his shirt and throwing it. Kissing a trail down her body, he stopped at her boyshorts, playfully pulling them down before giving her scar a loving kiss.

She tensed slightly. She hadn't had a man between her legs like this since the last time _he_ was. Klaus was never very receptive to oral sex and she hadn't felt the need to push it. Her thighs began to shake at the memory of what his mouth and fingers could do to her.

"Relax," he whispered, placing a kiss just above her clit before using his thumbs to open her delicate lips and gaze at the succulent flesh within, "I remember what you like, darling."

Elena's protest died in her throat as his tongue lapped against her opening, causing her to mewl in pleasure. Her back arched off of the bed as her fingers once again found his hair and tangled in his locks while her other hand went to her breast.

His tongue alternated between soft, light licks and firm, flat-tongued laps. His hands wrapped around her thighs and held her open to him as he buried his face in her folds, desperate to lick up every bit of her sweet wetness that he could. His nose bumped against her swollen clit as his tongue swirled around her entrance, snaking inside and drinking what she offered.

"Fuck! Kol, please…" she whimpered, bucking her hips against his mouth in impatience.

Not one to disappoint, Kol slid two fingers inside of her, hooking them upwards and finding the spongy flesh that held her release. Her scream caused a shiver of male pride to go through him as he continued to rub, her clit still trapped in his mouth as she convulsed and tightened around his fingers.

Flopping back bonelessly, she stared at the ceiling as she tried to control her breathing. Her eyes closed, her thighs still shaking as she felt him licking up the rest of the wetness that had trailed down the insides of her legs.

"You taste so sweet," he murmured against the skin of her hip as he kissed his way back up her tight body, "I would stay between your thighs all night if you'd let me."

"We've tried that," she laughed breathlessly, kissing him and feeling a new flash of arousal shoot through her body at tasting herself on his lips, "If you recall, you gave me so many orgasms that I could hardly walk straight for a week."

Kol smirked and bit her lower lip, "All the more reason to do it again."

"Shut up," she chided as she pulled his lips back to hers, her legs wrapping around his waist before she frowned and pulled back, "Why are you still wearing pants? If you're not naked in ten seconds, you're sleeping alone tonight."

He sputtered for about two seconds before standing and fumbling with his belt, pulling his jeans and boxers off in one tug. Elena sighed happily as he was nestled between her legs once more.

"I need you," she murmured against the skin of his neck, scoring her teeth into his flesh causing him to thrust against her involuntarily.

"I d-don't have a-"

"When did we ever use condoms?" Elena asked rhetorically, sliding her hand down his backside and digging her nails into his firm buttocks to urge him forward, "I don't want there to be anything between us. Ever."

He growled at the bite of her nails before thrusting forward and burying himself to the hilt inside of her tight heat. His eyes closed as he felt her warm, wet walls pulse around him and adjust to his intrusion once more. It felt like coming home. _She_ was his home and always would be.

She bit back a whimper of pain at she was forced to adjust to him to quickly. But the pain soon turned to pleasure as he starting giving her long and deep thrusts, being sure to rub his pelvis against her swollen clit every time he pushed himself back into her.

Kol's lips found hers as he pushed against her, wanting to prolong their pleasure for as long as possible. She was tightening on his cock and he grit his teeth as he staved off his own pleasure in favor of hers.

"Come on, baby," he urged her, biting her neck and sucking softly between his words, "Come on my cock. You know how much I love how tight you get when you come. Come for me, darling."

She fell apart at his urges. Her teeth sank into his shoulder in a desperate attempt to muffle the scream that wanted to tear free from her throat. Her nails raked down his back as he pushed as deeply into her as possible, the swollen head of his cock pressing against her cervix giving her a little pain to her whole lot of pleasure.

"Kol," she whimpered, her body shaking from the intensity of her release as she clung to his body, urging her hips up to meet his once more.

He chuckled against his throat before kissing her passionately, "You ready for more, sweetheart? Are you sure you can handle it?"

Elena nodded vigorously as she watched him sit on his knees between his legs, whining when he slipped out of her. Grabbing her legs, he hauled her onto his bent thighs as he pushed his cock back into her. He hooked her knees over his elbows and thrust into her harshly.

The new position caused Kol to hit her frontal wall with each thrust and she was nearly crying in pleasure. Her next orgasm caused her to see stars as he once again held off. Her body was limp as he pulled out of her and flipped her onto her stomach, gently easing her onto her hands and knees as he pressed kisses along her spine.

"You're so beautiful when you come," he whispered against the nape of her neck as his cock nudged her entrance from behind, "I love feeling you shake and hearing you trying to be quiet. You're perfect."

She mewled and wiggled her butt against him, trying to entreat him. Taking the hint, he slowly guided himself inside of her, closing his eyes once more as she wrapped around him like velvet. He knew that he could only give her one more orgasm before he was pushed off of the edge completely.

Kol grabbed her hips and started a punishing pace, remembering how much she liked the position she was currently in. His fingers imprinted themselves on her delicate olive skin as she pushed back to meet every single one of his thrusts.

Jerking her onto her knees, her back was flush against his chest as he reached around and pinched her clit expertly, his thrusts only faltering when she became unbearably tight on his cock.

"Kol!" She screamed urgently, her hand covering his on her hip and squeezing it hard.

"Come, Elena!" He gasped out as she exploded in his arms, a loud keening wail coming from her small body.

Kol roared his release, burying himself inside of her as deep as he could, holding her close. She whimpered, her head falling back on his shoulder as her body trembled. He kissed her temple, her cheek, her lips, before stopping at her ear.

"I love you."

A tired smile flittered across her exhausted face as she replied, "I love you, too. I always have."

Carefully pulling out of her, he lay down and pulled her onto her chest. He stroked her sweaty hair away from her face and whispered sweet nothings as she fell asleep in his arms.

Kol's entire world was in his arms and he couldn't be happier.

* * *

 **Be sure to leave a review!**

 **~Grace**


	16. Epilogue

**The end has reached us! And I'm very sad to see it go. However...it might now completely be the end.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

 _One Week Later_

"Claire seems to be adjusting well," Damon observed, staring at Kol and Claire's interaction in the living room, "Are you sure you have to go back?"

Elena sighed, setting her coffee mug down on the island, "I have some loose ends to tie up. Once everything's taken care of, then I can think about living here permanently. I'm going to sell my apartment and get rid of all the stuff I don't want to pack up and-"

"Kitten, calm down," he chuckled, refilling her mug, "I told you that you and Claire could stay here until you and Kol figure out where you're going to live. I know it's hard just to uproot her and move here, but she'll be much closer to her family this way. And she'll be further away from…"

"From Nik," she finished quietly as an apologetic look came across his face, "I know. It's a win-win situation. I'm hoping that everything will just work out. Kol and I are going to look at apartments later today, do you think you could-"

"Claire and I will go visit your parents, okay? Don't worry about a thing."

* * *

Apartment shopping was never Elena's favorite thing to do. It was hard going from place to place and having a critical eye with all the 'features' that were supposed to fit a family of three for the next few years.

The first apartment was infinitely too small. Only two rooms and one bathroom; their little family needed a bit more room than that. The second apartment was all right, but it lacked character and Elena felt that they needed that.

"Maybe we should just look for a house instead," Kol had suggested after the first two apartments, "Claire will only be getting bigger and we may want another child later…"

Elena had looked at him with wide eyes, "You…you want more kids?"

"Well, don't you?"

"Only with you."

And so the hunt for houses began that same day. Kol's realtor had no trouble finding houses that fit their criteria. They wanted at least four bedrooms with matching bathrooms, a backyard suitable for play-dates and parties, and a house with as much character as the little family had.

* * *

Within a month of Kol and Elena closing on their house, a beautiful mint green two-story with five bedrooms and bathrooms, a large backyard with a gazebo, and antique heritage, Rebekah and Damon announced their engagement. The couple had kept it under wraps that they were even seeing each other and it came as a huge surprise.

Elena couldn't have been happier for her best friend. Damon deserved happiness after all that he had been through and she was glad that Rebekah had finally adjusted to being tied down. They were married in June, right before Claire's birthday, and the little girl was the flower girl as Elena was the maid of honor and Stefan was the best man.

Caroline and Stefan were married a week later, with Caroline three months pregnant and glowing with happiness.

* * *

 _One Year Later_

"I know that this is a little sudden…but I don't want to wait another minute," Kol said, getting down on one knee in front of Elena.

The couple was celebrating their one-year anniversary with a dinner at the Boarding House. All of the important Mikaelsons were there as well as the Salvatores and the Gilberts.

Elena's hand went to her mouth as she looked at the man in front of her, "Kol…"

"Elena Kathleen Gilbert, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" He asked surely, opening up the velvet box in his hand and showing off a dainty platinum band with fire opals surrounding a princess cut diamond, "I can't imagine the rest of my life without you or Claire."

"Yes, yes! A million times yes!" She screeched, holding out her hand as Kol slid the ring onto her finger, "I love you so much."

He stood and swooped her into his strong arms, kissing every part of her face that he could reach, "I love you, darling. Always you."

* * *

Kol and Elena's wedding was beautiful. The Boarding House was decked out in baby blue and white and she couldn't be happier. The ceremony had her in tears and by the end she couldn't believe that she was Elena Mikaelson.

They had their honeymoon in France while Damon and Rebekah watched over Claire. The couple spent the first three days exploring the city of Paris and being tourists, but by the fourth day, Elena had woken up sick to her stomach and proceeded to vomit for most of the morning.

"Sweetheart, are you all right?" Kol called from the other side of the bathroom door, "Will you let me in, please?"

She groaned and picked herself up off of the floor, padding over to the door, and unlocking it before collapsing into his arms.

He held her securely to his chest and stroked her damp hair away from her face, "Was it something you ate?"

Elena smiled up at him, her brown eyes lit with happiness, "It should solve itself in about eight months or so."

His eyes widened as he stared down at her, a large smile blooming across his face, "You're…you're pregnant?"

She nodded excitedly, clinging to him and laughing through her happy tears, "I'm pregnant."

* * *

 **So, I kind of left it open because I'm honestly considering a sequel or a prequel (or both!), so yeah :)**

 **Please let me know what you thought of this story as a whole, I love feedback! And let me know if you want a continuation or a prequel.**

 **Thank you to everyone that's reviewed and stayed with the story. Huge shout out to HCookie, she's fucking awesome. Thanks for reviewing and keeping me laughing with your comments!**

 **See ya on the flipside!**

 **~Grace O'Malley**


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